BANGOR, Me- The UMBC Retrievers put three players in double figures including a team high 25 points from Te’yJah Oliver Sunday afternoon, and breezed past the Maine Black Bears 74-54 in an America East women’s basketball game played at the Cross Insurance Center.
The visitors began the game on a 6-2 run for an early lead. Maine held one lead in the entire game for about 15 seconds on a Kelly Fogarty shot that made it 7-6. Oliver scored 11 first quarter points including an unconventional three-point play and two three-pointers, with the second coming in the final seconds and UMBC led 23-14. The Retrievers continued the hot shooting and also their great dribble penetration that made for easy shots in the second quarter, extending it to 40-23 just before the half on a Lucrezia Costa basket. Black Bears guard Dor Saar would convert a four point play with 11 seconds left, and Maine trailed 40-27 at the break. UMBC shot 60% from the floor in the first half, while Maine shot only 35.5%.
The hosts used an 8-2 run to open the third quarter to cut it to 42-35 on a Fogarty three-pointer. Saar got the Black Bears as close as they had been since the first quarter when she buried a three-pointer later cutting it to 48-43. But baskets from Lyric Swann and Paula Rubio pushed it back to a nine point advantage for the Retrievers at the end of the third at 52-43. Maine (8-14, 4-4 America East) made one more push slicing it to 56-50 on a Saar jumper 1:50 into the final quarter, but never got any closer in the final 10 minutes of action. UMBC couldn’t be slowed down as they used a 12-2 run in the final 5:10 to cap off a 20 point road win. It is the first win in Maine for the Retrievers since February 2, 2013 when the Black Bears were playing at the Alfond Arena in Orono. Maine head coach Amy Vachon said, “I think they (UMBC) played a great game, credit to them they came in and were prepared and I thought we were prepared but we weren’t, and they deserve it they beat us bad. We got it to five in the third quarter but then made some bad decisions and turned the ball over. Even when it was five it seemed like more, they just took it to us”. The Maine loss also ends a streak between regular season and playoffs of 17 straight wins over America East opponents at home. UMBC head coach Johnetta Hayes said, “I am just excited for the team, that is a good America East win. It was time for us to get past the hump, we’ve been playing with alot of the teams and as the game goes on third quarter or late third/early fourth we hit a drought and we did today. But today we overcame it, we hadn’t done that before”.
Oliver added 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals to her team high point total in the UMBC win. She shot 10-13 from the field (4-6 three-pointers). Oliver said, “That was coaches emphasis today, play with extra pace and tempo cause they (Maine) have a hard time guarding ball screens and drives so that was the emphasis just get to the hoop”. Swann had a career high 16 points and four rebounds. Rubio also got into double figures finishing with 10 points. The Retrievers shot 56% for the game from the floor. UMBC sees their record improve to 6-12, 2-5. Saar led Maine in the loss with 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists (5-9 three-pointers). Saar said, “We didn’t play well, didn’t defend well, so we lost. We just didn’t defend, we had a game plan but we didn’t stick to it”. Fogarty added 10 points, while Maddy McVicar had eight, and Maeve Carroll had six points. The Black Bears finished 37% from the floor, but only 9-28 from three-point range. Maine is now off until next Saturday when they travel to Hartford to battle the Hawks.
Maine guard Maddy McVicar looks to set up the offense during the second quarter of America East women’s action against UMBC on Sunday, January 26, 2020 in Bangor. The Retrievers won the game 74-54. Photo by Chris Lessner
