UMBC

Burlington, Vt.-The UMBC men’s basketball team had its modest two-game winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym as host Vermont handed the Retrievers their first conference loss of the season, 68-59. UMBC falls to 6-8 on the season and 2-1 in America East action, while the Catamounts improve to 6-7 overall and 2-1 in the league.

After eight ties and 10 lead changes in the first half, the Retrievers trailed 35-33 at halftime, but a 9-0 Vermont run early in the second half put the Catamounts up by 11 points, a deficit from which UMBC would never recover, despite causing 23 turnovers, a season-high for UVM. The Retrievers trailed the entire second half.

The Retrievers would rally back to pull to within one point at 60-59, and with two minutes remaining in the game, John Zito stepped to the free throw line but missed both foul shots, and UMBC did not score again, as Vermont went on to win, 68-59.

Zito’s missed free throws were a trend in the game for the Retrievers, who shot a dismal 44.4 percent from the charity stripe (12-for-27). UMBC’s poor shooting extended to three-point range, as the team shot only 29.4 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-17). The Retrievers shot 36.2 percent from the floor.

Four Retrievers scored in double figures, as Brian Hodges led the team with 13 points off the bench, and Zito, Jerrell Dinkins and Jay Greene each scored 11. Mike Housman led the team with 10 rebounds to go along with his seven points, while Dinkins was near a double-double with nine boards.

Vermont’s Martin Klimes led all scorers with 19 points and recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds.

The Retrievers return to action Wednesday, Jan. 11, when they host America East rival New Hampshire at 7 p.m. at the RAC Arena.