UMBC

RICHMOND, Va.  – The UMBC women’s basketball team’s shooting struggles continued as the Retrievers shot 14.3 percent in the second half en route to a 70-41 loss to VCU in Wednesday night’s non-conference matchup at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

VCU (4-4) grabs its fourth win in the last five games, while UMBC (3-6) drops its third-straight contest – all three coming on the road.

The Retrievers, short staffed due to three starters missing from the lineup, connected on four field goals in the second half – including one field goal in the final 13:09 of the contest. The Rams took advantage, draining nine three-pointers in the second half and shooting 52.9 percent from beyond the arc in the stanza.

The Retrievers started off by hitting three of its first four field goal attempts, including a pair of treys, but it was the Rams that jumped out to a five-point advantage in the early going, 15-10, after connecting on 6-of-8 shots.

Despite holding VCU scoreless for 4:02, UMBC was unable to come closer than three points in the first half, shooting 30.0 percent (9-for-20) from the field in the stanza. The Rams would lead by as many as nine in the opening 20 minutes, but the Retrievers scored the final four points of the half on a layup from sophomore forward Ashley Lambert (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) and a pair of free throws from senior guard Raven Harris (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne/American) to enter the break with a five-point deficit, 27-22.

The teams shot a combined 5-for-20 from three in the opening half and turned the ball over a total of 19 times – with the Retrievers scoring 11 points off of the Rams 11 turnovers. Kaneisha Atwater led all scorers in the first scoring nine of her 12 points in the half.

UMBC got the first point of the half on a free throw from Lambert, but VCU mounted a 14-3 run, thanks to 11 points from freshman guard Jessica Pellechio, to take an 41-26 lead. Pellechio – the countries leader in three-point field goals made per game – finished the night with four treys and a game-high 20 points.

The Retrievers would come back within 10, 41-31, following an offensive rebound and layup from freshman center Keri Kleist (Mason, Ohio/Sycamore) and a trey from freshman guard Kayla Seymour (Raleigh, N.C./Panther Creek), but UMBC would come no closer as junior forward Robyn Parks and senior guard Robyn Hobson combined to score 14 of the Rams next 18 points to open up a 22-point advantage. Parks finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Hobson added six on 2-of-3 shooting from three.

Senior guard Brittany Crowell (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park/James Madison) led the Retrievers with nine points and five rebounds, while Harris finished with seven points, six assists, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Bria White (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase/Longwood) and Lambert chipped in seven points each and Seymour added career-highs with six points and five rebounds.

UMBC returns home after on Friday, Nov. 7, to take on Hampton, for its final contest before finals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the RAC Arena.

Dawg Notes:
-UMBC falls to 0-4 on the road this season and 7-2 in the all-time series against VCU.
-UMBC played without three of its starters and used its fifth starting lineup in nine games; Brittany Crowell, Raven Harris, Ashley Lambert, Kayla Seymour and Bria White.
-For the first time this season, the Retrievers failed to have a player finish in double-figure points
-UMBC shot under 30 percent for the second-straight game and the third time this season.
-The Retrievers allowed its opponent to connect for 10-or-more threes for the fourth-straight game. In the last four games, UMBC opponents have totaled 44 treys.
-Senior guard Raven Harris, who entered the week ranked 18th in the nation in steals, finished the night with six steals and is averaging 4.0 steals per contest.