UMBC

Meghan Colabella's 20 rebounds were the most by a Retriever sinc 1999.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Sophomore forward Meghan Colabella (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) posted her third double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to lead the UMBC women’s basketball team (8-5) past Rider (2-9) by a score of 76-55 Monday evening at John Paul Jones Arena in the consolation game of the University of Virginia’s Marriott Cavalier Classic.

The Retrievers’ eight non-conference wins tie the school Division I record. UMBC also won eight non-league contests in 2005-06, opening the season 8-3 en route to a 15-13 overall record.

Colabella’s 20 rebounds are the most by a Retriever since Monica Logan pulled down 23 boards on Jan. 28, 1999.

UMBC scored the first seven points of the game and led 17-8 at the 11:52 mark before a 13-3 Rider run gave the Broncs a 21-20 lead with 8:06 to play. Junior guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) and freshman forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) combined to score 18 of UMBC’s first 20 points of the game.

A free throw by Colabella sparked a 13-0 UMBC spurt that gave the Retrievers the lead for good, 33-21, with 4:58 remaining in the half. UMBC led, 35-30, at halftime.

The Retrievers came out hot in the second period, making their first four shots and using a 12-4 run to open a 47-34 advantage at the 16:52 mark. Five straight points by the Broncs cut their deficit to single digits, but 47-49 was the closest they would get as Rider did not put together back-to-back baskets again until less than two minutes remained.

A pair of foul shots by freshman guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) gave UMBC a game-high 26-point lead, 75-49, with four minutes left.

Kurowski led four Retrievers in double figures with 18 points and added six rebounds and four steals. Brown tallied 13 points and six boards, while Cassidy posted 11.

Sarah Homan led Rider with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The Broncs shot just 27.9 percent in the game.

The Retrievers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they travel to Burlington, Vt., to open America East Conference play at Vermont.