Baltimore, Md. - Michelle Kurowski netted 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in leading UMBC to a 51-40 victory over UAlbany in an America East Conference women's basketball contest on Thursday, Feb. 18 at RAC Arena. In a tight battle which featured 10 ties and six lead changes, the Retrievers broke a 38-38 deadlock and finished the game on a 13-2 run to earn their third victory in their last four contests.
     UMBC (12-14, AE 6-7), which trailed 24-22 at the break, scored 13 of the first 15 points to start the second half and go ahead by a 35-26 score. The Retrievers used a 3-pointer by Kurowski and several layups to take a nine-point lead while holding the Great Danes to just one field goal over the first eight minutes of the frame.
     UAlbany (9-17, AE 2-11), which was looking to win for the third time in four games, climbed back and tied the score at 38 on a Julie Forster turnaround jumper with 9:03 remaining. Cassandra Callaway, who came in to run the offense during the run, added a trifecta during the stretch.
     While the Great Danes played tough defensively, the offense went cold and was held scoreless for over six minutes until Forster nailed a 15-foot jumper from the left corner with 2:50 on the clock to bring the visitors to within four. However, that was the closest it would get. The Retrievers made seven of their eight free throw attempts down the stretch to pull away for the 11-point win.
     "We had good shots, but we missed a lot of open shots," said head coach Trina Patterson, whose team only made one field goal in the last nine minutes. "UMBC executed well down the stretch, and we didn't have enough discipline offensively."
     The beginning of the first half featured four ties and three lead changes. Neither side led by more than a possession until Charity Iromuanya, who was named the team's player of the game, drilled a trifecta from the left corner at the 11:26 mark to give the Great Danes a 15-10 advantage.
     Keyed by Kurowski, who was named her team's player of the game, the Retrievers battled back and took the lead on two occasions at 19-17 and 21-19. A long jumper from the right wing by Delaney Cohan with 1:05 on the clock broke a 22-22 deadlock and gave the visitors a two-point cushion at the recess.
     "Winning a conference game on the road is something we need to get better at," added Patterson, whose team will visit New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 21. "We are still learning to put two halves together. We outshot them in the first half, but they made 50 percent of their shots in the second. It's those little things, including offensive rebounds and loose balls, that make a difference and add up."
     In addition to Kurowski's performance, UMBC, which was holding its annual Pink Zone game to publicize Breast Cancer Awareness, was also led by Tope Obajolu and Carlee Cassidy. Obajolu finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while Cassidy had six points, seven boards and four assists. Iromuanya had a team-high 15 points to pace UAlbany, while Henry added 10 points and Forster had netted six points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

UMBC 51, UAlbany 40 (02/18/10 at Baltimore, Md. - RAC Arena)

ALBANY 40

UMBC 51