UMBC

Freshman guard Brian Hodges hit 6 of 8 shots from the floor in 20 minutes of action.

Freshman guard Brian Hodges scored 10 of his team high 14 points in the second half, and junior forward Cory McJimson chipped in with his first “double-double” of the season as host UMBC edged Albany, 67-62, in an America East Conference match-up in snowy Baltimore.

UMBC snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 7-9 overall, and 2-5 in the America East. Road-weary Albany fell to 8-8, 4-3. The seven wins by the Retrievers ties its season total (7-21) of a year ago.

For the second time in as many home games, UMBC rallied from a halftime deficit to win. The Retrievers had lost 29 straight in that situation until defeating Stony Brook, 74-67, two weeks ago.

Albany led for most of the first half, and took a 31-26 advantage into intermission. But UMBC quickly erased the deficit with a 10-2 run to open the half. After five lead changes in the midpoint of the half, sophomore forward Mike Housman hit a pair of free throws to give UMBC the lead for good at 52-51 with 7:45 to play.

Then Hodges hit lay ups on consecutive possessions to give UMBC a 56-51 lead with 6:09 left. After Albany’s Lucious Jordan made a driving layup, the Great Danes did not convert on their next six possessions, and UMBC built a 62-55 advantage after a pair of Rob Gogerty free throws with 58 seconds left. Albany trimmed the deficit to 63-60 after a Aquawasi St. Hillaire lay-up with 25 seconds remaining, but Gogerty hit four straight free throws to seal the win.

McJimson scored 13 points and garnered a season high 11 rebounds. Hodges hit 6 of 8 shots from the floor, scoring 14 points in just 20 minutes of action. The Retrievers hit 13 of 25 shots from the floor in the second half, after making just 9 of 28 in the first 20 minutes.

Sophomore guard Jamar Wilson scored 21 points for Albany and Jordan added 10, but both Great Dane guards committed 4 turnovers.

UMBC is now 6-2 at home this season after a 2-9 campaign in 2003-04.