Home-court woes continue to plague the UMBC basketball team.
And this time the Retrievers ran the gamut of emotions before losing to cross-town rival Loyola, 67-60, in overtime last night before 1,012 at UMBC Fieldhouse.
As its worst Division I start ever stretched to 0-5, UMBC was dreadful offensively for 33 minutes before overcoming a 48-31 deficit with a burst of sharp shooting to force the extra period.
The Retrievers took a 57-55 lead -- their first since the score was 6-5 -- on the first basket of the overtime, a jumper by Tony Thompson (19 points).
But the re-entry of freshman point guard John McDonald settled down the Greyhounds, and Loyola (3-3) finished off the victory by going 8-for-11 from the foul line and getting key steals by McDonald and B. J. Pendleton.
It was the seventh straight defeat by UMBC at home and its third straight this week to an NCAA tournament team from last year.
McDonald had career highs with 15 points and six assists, but left with six minutes remaining in regulation after taking an elbow in the head.
His exit practically coincided with UMBC's comeback that included 12 points by Eric Wyatt.
In regulation, Matt Gabriel's drive gave Loyola a 55-53 edge with 24 seconds left, but Thompson made two free throws to tie the game.
The Greyhounds had the final chance to win, Gabriel freeing a loose ball from a scramble to Julian Tate, who missed a short jumper just before the buzzer.
After UMBC went ahead, Loyola coach Brian Ellerbe was comfortable that McDonald was all right and re-inserted him with 3:31 remaining in overtime.
From that point, the Retrievers scored only one more basket, a three-pointer by Artie Walker that rolled all the way around the rim before dropping.
McDonald was humble about his part in the victory, noting "we have problems burying teams. We'll learn eventually. It's all experience. Slowly but surely, we're coming together."
Meanwhile, Retrievers coach Earl Hawkins was left to pick up even more pieces after a strange performance in which UMBC appeared en route to threatening its all-time low scoring game at home (42 points).
"I don't know how to explain it," said Hawkins. "Our offense was completely stagnant early." Only Thompson scored until there was 1:42 remaining in the half.
"Then we suddenly wake up. I finally found a combination that could relax and play. I feel sorry for the guys. They played hard. It's just a few key mistakes that kill us," Hawkins added.
Loyola played without one of its backcourt sparks, Milt Williams, who has been nursing a viral infection, and was getting a little thin at guard when McDonald was hurt.
"When he [McDonald] returned, it changed our offensive tempo completely," said Ellerbe. "We picked up. He has such a calm demeanor. Nothing bothers him."
Pendleton moved into 16th place on Loyola's all-time scoring list ahead of Tom Caraher and also led all rebounders with 11. He has 1,172 points.
It was Loyola's first win on the road after three defeats, but Ellerbe said he doesn't really consider the site, only the performance.
"They're all tough, no matter where they are," Ellerbe said. "Our defense was excellent the whole game, but we needed some plays on offense to win it at the end."