UMBC 66, Towson 62
BALTIMORE -- Ryan Cook had 22 points and Brett Roseboro added 19 as host UMBC beat crosstown foe Towson 66-62 on Saturday night in a non-conference game at RAC Arena.
Chase Plummer added 11 points and 11 rebounds for UMBC and teammate Aaron Morgan, who played a team-high 34 minutes and had seven assists and just two turnovers.
Jerome Hairston and South Florida transfer Mike Burwell each had 14 points for Towson and teammate Jerrelle Benimon, a junior forward and Georgetown transfer, had 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Towson won the battle of the boards 43-34 and each team made 15 free throws. But Towson had 17 turnovers while the Retrievers had just 11 while shooting 42 percent from the field. The Tigers made just 37 percent of their shots from the field and were just 7 of 22 from 3-point range.
It was the seventh straight game away from home to begin the season for Towson, but the Tigers had to travel just a few miles to southern Baltimore County to face the Retrievers.
UMBC led 23-22 at halftime then went out to a 34-29 advantage early in the second half. A basket by Roseboro gave the hosts a 53-41 lead late in the game. Towson cut the lead to 54-48 with 3:53 left and it was 62-59 with 28 seconds to go. But Cook, who played at St. Vincent Pallotti High in nearby Laurel, made two free throws with 25 seconds left to give UMBC a 64-59 lead and put the game away.
Towson (3-4) has lost three straight, including at crosstown foe Loyola on Monday. UMBC lost at home 85-65 on Thursday to Canisius.
Benimon entered the game with an average of 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. He was one of five players to lead the team in scoring in the first six games.
UMBC is 2-5 under interim coach Aki Thomas, who took over just before the season began. Senior guard Cook averaged a team-high 16.5 points in the first six games.
The teams have met since 1970 and Towson still leads the series 35-20.
NOTES: Towson also has road games at Vermont, Georgetown and Temple before its first home game in suburban Baltimore on Dec. 15 against North Dakota State. ... UMBC plays Tuesday at George Mason, which faces Maryland on Sunday at the Verizon Center in Washington.
