Sophomore forward Trinette Tucker scored a career-high 36 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Towson State (6-8, 5-0) to its fifth straight victory, a 72-62 Big South Conference win over Liberty University (3-10, 1-4) last night in Lynchburg, Va.
Tucker made 10 of 20 shots from the field, hitting five of nine three-point attempts. The Reston, Va., native also made 11 of 12 free-throw attempts.
The Tigers rallied from a 29-26 halftime deficit as Tucker scored 25 points after intermission. Her two free throws with six minutes left gave the Tigers a 56-54 lead, and they never trailed again.
It marked the sixth straight game in which Tucker has scored more than 20 points, and it was her second 30-plus game of the season.
* UMBC 59, UNC-Greensboro 57: Jan Jacob (Bladensburg) scored 15 points and UMBC (7-6, 3-1) handed Big South rival UNC-Greensboro (7-7, 3-1) its first conference loss in Greensboro, N.C.
UNC-Greensboro's Rebecca Viverette hit a three-pointer with 51 seconds left to bring the Spartans within one, but they got no closer.
Eunich French hit the go-ahead shot, an 18-foot jumper for a 55-53 lead with 2:24. UMBC never trailed again.
* Loyola 62, Penn 52: Patty Stoffey -- with 19 points and 12 rebounds -- powered a 24-2 scoring run with 6:51 left in the second as visiting Loyola (11-3) downed Penn (2-11) in Philadelphia.
Penn took an early 21-4 lead as Erica McCauley hit a three-pointer with 4:59 left in the half. Loyola, which trailed by six at the half, opened the lead to 55-44 with 4:58 left in the game.
Men
* Essex CC 109, Cecil CC 81: Walter Wright scored 26 points to lead Essex Community College (14-4) past Cecil CC (1-11) in a Maryland JuCo League game.
Dwayne Winder (Edgewood) and Chris Gephardt (Joppatowne) both scored 23 points for the Knights.