UMBC Uses Hot Shooting in Second Half to Rally Past Women's Basketball, 62-57

Albany, N.Y. - Tope Obajolu fell just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds as UMBC rallied from a five-point deficit at halftime to defeat UAlbany, 62-57, in the Great Danes' America East Conference home opener at SEFCU Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 13. UAlbany celebrated Commitment to Education Day, as 950 students from 10 local elementary schools were in attendance.

UMBC (8-8, AE 2-1), which returned all of its starters from last season and did not lose a senior to graduation, shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the second half after converting just 29.6 percent of its shots in the first stanza. The Retrievers regained the lead for the first time in the frame at 34-32 when Michelle Brokans canned a three-point field goal from the right corner with 12:12 to play.

A layup by Ebone Henry on a fastbreak following a steal from Charity Iromuanya put UAlbany back ahead, 39-38, but the lead was short lived as Erin Brown sunk a trifecta on the very next play. The Retrievers extended their lead to as many as six points when Katie Brooks nailed a jumper with 1:27 left, but the Great Danes fought hard until the end in what turned out to be a long and wild finish.

Henry made two straight steals in the backcourt for UAlbany (7-8, AE 0-2) in an effort to make a comeback. With UMBC holding on to what seemed like a comfortable 57-52 lead, Henry swiped away the inbounds pass and found Forster for a layup to make it a one-possession game with 57 seconds left. Henry then stole the inbounds pass again and got to the free throw line. However, she missed the ensuing one-and-one opportunity which would have closed the gap to just two points.

"Until that buzzer goes off, we always give ourselves a chance," said head coach Trina Patterson, whose team missed 12 free throws and shot just 50 percent (12-24) from the charity stripe to UMBC's 78.6 percent (11-14). "Those two steals at the end of the game were made by a freshman. We have to remember that we are playing with a lot of youth on the floor, and we were playing against a team that had 75 percent of their scorers back which was an advantage."

After Brooks drove in for another layup on the ensuing play, UAlbany continued to fight back and got two free throws from Forster with 24 seconds left. After Brooks countered with two free throws for the visitors, Felicia Johnson missed a layup with 14 seconds left which would have trimmed the deficit to two. Two free throws by Brown with nine seconds remaining sealed the final outcome.

"It was a tough loss," said Iromuanya, the team's America East player of the game. "First of all, it was in conference play. Second, it came at home. And third, we could have controlled the game by just making our free throws."

Cold shooting plagued both teams in the first half which would feature seven ties and five lead changes. After UMBC scored the first four points, Iromuanya netted the Great Danes' first basket at the 14:48 mark when she drove in for a layup on the left side.

Trailing 19-15, UAlbany ended the half on an 11-2 run over the last four minutes. Forster broke a 19-19 deadlock by scoring five straight points on a driving layup and her first career three-point basket in the left corner. Iromuanya's fastbreak layup following a steal at midcourt by Johnson gave the Great Danes a 26-21 halftime lead.

In addition to Obajolu, who was named the team's America East player of the game, UMBC got 28 points from Brooks and Brown off its bench. Brooks finished with a team-high 16 points, while Brown added 12. Carlee Cassidy, the conference's leading scorer in league play, was held to six points on 3-for-12 shooting from the field.

Iromunaya led three UAlbany players in double-digit scoring with a game-high 17 points. She also added six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Forster and Henry contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Forster also grabbed seven rebounds.

"It is very frustrating to play well in non-conference games and then start 0-2 when it is time to show up for conference play," added Iromuanya. "We just have to keep our heads up and work hard. This one is over, and now we have to focus on Saturday (at Boston University)."

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information