The UMBC women’s basketball team has had a difficult time over its last three games. After starting off their season with a team record six game winning streak, the Retrievers have now lost their third straight game after being blown out by University of Maryland, College Park 92-61, the rank seven team.
The Retrievers’ losing streak began after a tough loss at home against Towson where they gave up 25 points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Tigers to cruise to a late victory in what was originally a close game. The Retrievers had a chance to make a comeback after they kept the Tigers within reach at 46-45 through three quarters, but the defensive breakdown in the fourth gave the Retrievers their first loss of the season 71-62.
Three players finished in double figures, including freshman guard O’leysha Braxton, who finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. While the team had a better shooting percentage at 40.4 percent they could not get any help in securing the ball being out-rebounded 44-30 with 21 of those rebounds coming from the offensive end.
In their next game against American University, UMBC struggled mightily in the first quarter, giving up 30 points while only scoring 8 of their own. Those 30 points were the most points the Retrievers have given up in a quarter this season. UMBC was plagued with turnovers, turning over the ball 17 times in this game netting American University 19 points off turnovers. The defense would find its path as UMBC gave up a total of 34 points through the next three quarters but maintained their offensive struggles. Sophomore forward Janee’a Summers was the only player to score in double figures with 15 points. The Retrievers would fall to the Eagles 64-42.
In their game against the Terrapins, junior-guard Dominika Skrocka had the best game of her career, scoring 18 points on 6-7 shooting from the three-point line. Once again UMBC had issues controlling the ball, giving up 19 turnovers that resulted in 26 points for Maryland. The Terrapins made it hard for UMBC to get the ball up-court using full-court presses and traps in an effort to cause turnovers.
The Terrapins size added another problem for the Retrievers, who had a hard time dealing with larger players and it showed, with UMBC giving up 50 points in the paint and losing the rebounding battle 44-28. By halftime, the score was sitting at 58-30 before UMBC went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 60-40. But despite a gritty effort, the Retrievers would eventually fall 92-61.
In all three losses, UMBC has struggled, shooting 36 percent from the field. They have also scored 13 fewer points in these three losses, averaging 55 points as opposed to the 68 points they accumulated during their win streak. They are statistically worse in field goal percentage, rebounding, assists and steals. UMBC will try to break their losing streak as they take on Mount St. Mary’s at the UMBC Event Center.
