UMBC

Justin Fry got the start and scored a season-high 12 points in the win over Boston University

Boston, Mass.—UMBC flexed its defensive prowess, holding host Boston University to 25 percent shooting from the floor as the Retrievers won for the first time at Case Gymnasium, defeating the Terriers, 62-40.

UMBC hits its first week break of the conference season at 5-2, one-half game in front of Albany, Binghamton and Vermont in the America East. The Retrievers have eclipsed their win total of last year, improving to 13-7 on the campaign. Boston fell to 5-13, 2-4.

With the Retrievers struggling from long range, the post-playing trio of senior Cavell Johnson (Fort Washington, Md.), junior forward Darryl Proctor (District Heights, Md.) and sophomore Justin Fry (New Bloomfield, Pa.) picked up the slack. Johnson came off the bench for the first time this season and scored a game-high 13 points. Proctor, UMBC’s America East Player of the Game for the fifth time in seven America East outings, posted his ninth double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Fry, who got the start in place of Johnson, scored a season-high 12 points, hitting five of seven from the floor and UMBC’s first three-point field goal of the night.

With the score tied at five apiece, UMBC went on a 14-0 run to lead 19-5 midway through the first half. They built the advantage to as many as 23-6 before settling for a 30-16 halftime advantage. Fry hit UMBC’s lone three-point field goal of the half, his  first of the season, to cap UMBC’s first half scoring. UMBC was just one of ten in the first half and Fry scored all 12 of his points in the first 20 minutes.

The Terriers hit just five of 28 shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes against a combination of UMBC’s man-to-man and match-up zone defenses.

Boston cut the lead to single digits on one occasion in the second half, drawing to within 36-28 on a Matt Wolff layup with 14:42 remaining. But UMBC junior guard Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa.) hit UMBC’s lone three-pointer of the second half on the next possession and the Retrievers would lead by double digits the rest of the way.

Boston hit only 14 of 56 shots the floor, exactly matching an effort by UNH on January 25, 2007 in a 45-44 UMBC win. The 40 points scored by the Terriers was the fewest allowed by a UMBC team against a Division I opponent in the 40-minute game in the 22-year history of the program.

Greene dished out nine assists and became the fourth player in school history with 400 helpers (404).

UMBC will next play on Wednesday, Jan. 30 when they host defending league champion Albany.