UMBC proved last night that it won't easily surrender its Battle of Baltimore championship.

The two-time defending titlist trailed virtually the entire way until the final minute before scoring its last eight points on free throws to turn aside Towson, 86-81, in the tournament opener at Morgan State's Hill Field House.

A crowd of 3,222 was treated to a solid performance by both teams in their 2002-03 debuts as UMBC extended its Battle of Baltimore winning streak to five games. The Retrievers flourished in a controlled transition game, committed just 10 turnovers, shot 60 percent from the field and relied on their superior experience at crunch time.

"I feel like we have a chip on our shoulders," said UMBC's Kareem Washington, who scored a career-high 23 points. "We feel like we have something to show some people who picked us ninth [in the Northeast Conference]. We lost some players, but we still have some who can play, too."

Washington's drive tied the score at 74 before the Tigers' prized newcomer, point guard Jamaal Gilchrist, fouled out on a charge.

Justin Wilson shoved the Retrievers in front for the first time with a driving basket before Towson's Brian Allen (game-high 25 points) answered with one of his six three-pointers to regain the lead, 77-76.

But a conventional three-point play by Washington, a Tigers turnover and two Washington foul shots shoved UMBC ahead to stay. The victory was secured at the line by Wilson, Washington and Rob Gogerty.

"It was a typical Towson-UMBC game, and they were able to get a few more baskets in transition. That was the difference," Tigers coach Michael Hunt said. "We've got a young team that has to learn to close out ballgames, but I'm proud."

Towson blew out of the starting blocks with a 10-2 lead, then used the long-range shooting of Allen, the direction and driving of Gilchrist and the inside power of 7-footer Derrick Goode (Spalding) to maintain the lead.

The margin was still 10 (69-59) with seven minutes remaining before the Retrievers began chipping away with a tightened defense and a balanced offense.

"We came out a little flat but we didn't let it bother us," UMBC coach Tom Sullivan said. "As the game moved along, we showed we could both defend and score. Once we started executing, we were able to flip it over."

Towson has not beaten UMBC since 1998, dropping its sixth straight in the series and eighth in the past 10 meetings.

Goode finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to pace the Tigers' 38-24 dominance on the boards. Gilchrist added 16 points in his Towson debut after two years at Texas A&M.;