UMBC

Sophomore wing Ron Yates scored a career-best 21 points to lead four Retrievers in double figures as UMBC defeated host Loyola, 76-66, in the opener for both teams at the Battle of Baltimore Classic. UMBC will try to defend its title against Towson, a 53-51 winner vs. Coppin State in the first game. Justin Wilson's layup gave UMBC an 11-9 lead six minutes into the game, and the Retrievers never trailed after that. UMBC built a 33-20 lead, and settled for a 35-24 halftime advantage, holding Loyola to 7 of 28 shooting from the field. The Retrievers maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half, leading by as many as 21 points at 68-47 with 6:19 to play. UMBC hit 13 of 27 shots from the floor in the second half. Yates scored 13 of his game high points in the first half, while classmate Peter Mulligan (15 points, 11 rebounds) scored 11 in the final 20 minutes. Sophomore post Will McClurkin added 12 points, 9 boards and 4 blocked shots, and junior Malik Wallace scored 10 points.