TOURNEY DARLINGS OUSTED
UMBC RUNS OUT OF MAGIC VS. KSU
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of Maryland-Baltimore County will have to settle for making basketball history. Its brief, magical run in the NCAA Tournament came to a sobering end Sunday night as the 16th-seeded Retrievers were eliminated by ninthseeded Kansas State 50-43 at the Spectrum Center.
Burdened by poor shooting from the field and the free-throw line, UMBC never created the kind of momentum that helped the Retrievers become the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed two nights earlier against top-seeded Virginia.
“We had a lot of open shots, we just didn’t make them,” UMBC senior guard Jairus Lyles said. “It was one of those nights.”
Kansas State endured shooting woes of its own but held the Retrievers to just six points over the final five minutes to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010. The Wildcats (24-11) will play fifth-seeded Kentucky on Thursday in a South Region semifinal in Atlanta. UMBC, seeking its first trip to the Sweet 16, ends its memorable season at 25-11.
“This loss can’t take away what our team has been able to accomplish,” UMBC coach Ryan Odom said. “They’ve captured our country and beyond from a sporting perspective.”
The Retrievers, who were red hot Friday night, shot just 29.8 percent from the field and 6-of-22 from 3-point range Sunday. Lyles led the way with 12 points but was 4-of-15 from the floor. Barry Brown led KSU with 18 points. The teams combined for 35 turnovers in a sloppy game.
“Sometimes we looked a little ugly, but we found a way to win,” KSU coach Bruce Weber said.
After all the hype the Retrievers received for their historic win over Virginia, Kansas State opened the game a bit tentative. KSU was scoreless until sophomore forward Makol Mawien made a lay-in 6:20 into the first half. By then, UMBC had a opened a 7-0 lead, playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude that overwhelmed the slow-starting Wildcats, who made just 3 of their first 13 field-goal attempts.
Kansas State began to assert itself midway through the first half, pushing the ball inside to make use of its advantages in height and muscle. A quick 7-0 run helped the Wildcats grab a 15-14 lead.
The remainder of the half was a struggle for UMBC. The shots that fell with ease and regularity against Virginia, especially in the second half, were harder to duplicate against Kansas State. The
Wildcats were active and assertive on defense, keeping the Retrievers out of their run-and-gun comfort zone. Every field-goal attempt was contested by a Kansas State defender. By the time the first half ended, KSU had a 25-20 lead, leaving UMBC one point short of its 21-21 halftime score against Virginia two nights earlier.
But the Retrievers weren’t about to fade away without a fight. K.J. Maura, the pesky 5-foot-8 point guard, made a pair of 3s, and Max Curran added his own 3-pointer to cut the KSU lead to 32-31. Both teams weren’t particularly sharp as missed shots and turnovers prevented anyone from gaining a real advantage. From 11:07 left in the game to the 7:48 mark, not a single point was scored. Mawien ended the drought with a pair of free throws that gave KSU a 36-33 lead.
The momentum shifted for good when a steal and a building-shaking dunk by Xavier Sneed followed by a short jumper by Brown quickly pumped the Wildcats’ advantage back to 42-37 with 4:15 remaining. UMBC never recovered.
“We were able to buckle down and stay poised and make the big plays in the end,” Brown said.
When the Retrievers entered their locker room, Odom wrote one word on the board: proud.
“We put our name on the map,” Maura said. “We’ve given everyone who enters this tournament hope.”