Retrievers’ upset bid falls just short
UMBC loses 21st straight game to Catamounts
UMBC on Sunday rallied to nearly pull off the marquee win it has been searching for all season.
In the end, however, the host Retrievers succumbed to the latest chapter of an agonizingly familiar storyline.
Trailing America East leader Vermont by 16 with just over five minutes to play, UMBC rallied to cut the deficit to one but couldn’t complete the comeback, as junior guard K.J. Maura’s desperation heave bounced off the rim and over the backboard as time expired in a 77-74 loss — the Retrievers’ 21st straight against the Catamounts, dating to 2008.
As well as the Retrievers played down the stretch, their lackluster effort late in the first half and early in the second cost them. They made just one field goal during an eight-minute stretch, as their one-point deficit quickly ballooned to double digits.
“For us, it’s just trying to put 40 minutes together,” senior Will Darley (Dulaney) said. “We got it going late, but there wasn’t enough time to get out of the hole that we dug ourselves.”
Vermont’s size advantage threw UMBC off its game all day. The Catamounts outrebounded the Retrievers 46-24 and held a team that had entered averaging 10 made 3-pointers to 5-for-14 shooting from beyond the arc.
“They do a great job of getting the most amount of contact without the foul actually being called,” UMBC coach Ryan Odom said of the Catamounts. “It’s a unique kind of defense to play against.”
Defensively, UMBC also couldn’t stop a nine-deep Vermont team that shot 50 percent from the field, despite making just one of 11 3-pointers. Dre Wills, a reserve guard who entered averaging just more than five points, tied a career high with 22 on 9-for-12 shooting, along with a careerbest 13 rebounds.
He led four players in double figures for the Catamounts, who consistently gave themselves second-chance opportunities.
“I think we’re a little bit better than that, and we didn’t show it,” Odom said.
UMBC (16-9, 7-5 America East) has lost back-to-back conference games to fall out of America East title contention with four games to play in the regular season. Vermont (23-5, 13-0) now owns a 30-4 all-time record against the Retrievers, including last year’s 45-point pounding at RAC Arena.
This game appeared to be another blowout, at least before UMBC came to life late.
Led by Maura (22 points), guard Jairus Lyles (14) and Darley (13), the Retrievers fought back, forcing turnovers with their full-court pressure and taking advantage of the Catamounts’ poor free-throw shooting down the stretch.
The comeback excited the announced crowd of 1,219, and twice Odom spoke over UMBC coach Ryan Odom talks to his team during the second half. “You’ve got to execute for 40 minutes if you want to beat an undefeated team, and we didn’t do that,” he said. the public address system to admonish fans for blowing whistles during play.
What had been a 65-49 deficit shrunk to three points when Lyles nailed an offbalance 3-pointer with 1:10 left. After Wills missed a pair of free throws, Maura got the Retrievers within one at the foul line.
But that was as close as UMBC got, with the Catamounts sealing the game with free throws. Maura’s last-second prayer, after he grabbed a loose ball along the sideline near midcourt, bounced away at the buzzer.
“As soon as I threw it I thought it was going in,” Maura said. “It was lined up. I was disappointed when it didn’t.”
Darley was a bright spot for the Retrievers, going 3-for-3 from the foul line to increase his streak of made free throws to a school-record 31. Odom, however, lamented the lost opportunity for an upset.
“You’ve got to execute for 40 minutes if you want to beat an undefeated team, and we didn’t do that,” Odom said.