Giant-slayer takes a bow

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The University of Maryland-Baltimore County’s whirlwind ride in America’s hugely popular NCAA collegiate basketball tournament ended Sunday with a 50-43 loss to Kansas State.

Two days after UMBC authored a historic upset of overall top-seed Virginia – the first 16th seed ever to knock off a number one – the Retrievers were on their way home.

Kansas State’s Wildcats took full advantage of UMBC’s shooting struggles to reach the ‘’Sweet 16’’ for the first time since 2010 – when they made it all the way to the ‘’Elite Eight.’’

‘’Retriever Fever’’ had gripped US hoops fans after UMBC toppled Virginia 74-54 on Friday – an upset that busted bracket predictions across the nation and catapulted the unheralded team to prominence.

The UMBC website crashed during the game thanks to the number of people seeking information on the Retrievers and the 13,000-student campus at Catonsville, Maryland, located about a 10-minute drive from downtown Baltimore.