Baltimore, MD – The Greyhounds used a strong second and third quarter on their way to an 61-47 home win over UMBC.
Lex Therien posted her third-straight double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Taleah Dixon had her first career double-double with 11 points and a career best 10 rebounds.
Bri Rozzi also added 10 points on the day, while Marta Espinal scored seven points off of the bench.
The Greyhounds defense started the game out strong, as they forced a pair of turnovers and an air-ball in the first three possessions.
Lex Therien converted on a three-point play to give the Greyhounds an early 5-3 lead, and Therien continued her strong start, as she scored the Greyhounds first eight points of the game. The Retrievers found some momentum in the last five minutes of the first quarter, as they led 11-8 with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter. A pair of free throws from
Caramina Tañedo and another free throw from
Bri Rozzi trimmed the Greyhounds deficit to one point, as they trailed 12-11 at the end of the first.
A three-pointer from Kelly Ratigan gave the Greyhounds an early 14-12 lead in the second quarter. The Greyhounds then used an 14-3 run in the second quarter, capped off by a three-point play by Tañedo to jump out to a 25-15 lead. Espinal scored on a driving layup for her first career points, and the Greyhounds extended their lead to 29-18. The Retrievers managed to cut into the deficit late in the quarter, but Loyola took a 29-22 lead into halftime.
Koi Sims started the half with a steal and a fast-break layup as the Greyhounds got the scoring started early. She continued her strong start to the half, with a pair of layups, one of which came off an offensive rebound. The Greyhounds continued to hold the momentum, as they led 37-25 with 7:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Both defenses anchored in from there, as neither team scored over the next three minutes. The Retrievers ended the scoring drought with a layup to cut their deficit down to 10 points. The Greyhounds found the momentum once again, as they ended the second quarter on a 9-2 run over the last two minutes of the quarter, in big thanks to Dixon and Espinal three-pointers. The Greyhounds took a 48-31 lead into the fourth quarter.
Dixon started the quarter for the Greyhounds by sinking a pair of free throws, and they took their largest lead of the game, as they led by 19 points. A pair of Retrievers three-pointers cut into their deficit, as the Greyhounds led 52-40 with 6:00 left in the fourth quarter.
Bri Rozzi answered with a three-pointer of her own, to extend the Greyhounds lead to 59-45 with 3:43 remaining in the fourth. From there, the Greyhounds defense stepped up, and they allowed just two points over the last 3:43 of the game, en route to a 61-47 win.
