UMBC

Morgantown, W.Va.—National power West Virginia (5-3) buried 13 three-point goals as the Mountaineers defeated UMBC (2-4), 82-53, before 5,122 at the WVU Coliseum.

UMBC fell behind, 18-6, but outscored the hosts, 10-2, and Jay Greene’s drive got UMBC to within 20-16 with 6:50 remaining in the half. But four different Mountaineers hit three-point goals, igniting a 12-0 run to put WVU ahead, 32-16 at the 4:15 mark. They would extend the margin to 42-21 at halftime and built the lead to as many as 36 points in the second half.

Senior forward John Zito returned from an ankle injury to lead UMBC with 17 points. He hit eight of 12 shots from the floor and garnered five offensive rebounds. Senior forward Jerrell Dinkins hit four of five shots from the floor in an 11-point effort, and junior guard Chris Pugh hit three of five from behind the arc and also totaled 11 points.

UMBC outrebounded West Virginia, 38-24, but committed a season high 25 turnovers against the 1-3-1 Mountaineer zone. WVU hit 13 of 29 shots from three-point range and 32 of 57 (56.1%) overall.

The Retrievers return to action on Saturday as they open the America East Conference season vs. Stony Brook. Tip off time at the RAC Arena is 7:30 p.m.