The new Northeast Conference season began for the two local teams last night, but it brought the same old result.
UMBC trailed once early, then pulled away in the second half to beat Mount St. Mary's for the fourth straight time, 68-53, before 1,722 at RAC Arena.
The young Mountaineers, who have no senior starters and play four freshmen in prominent roles, couldn't keep pace with UMBC's superior savvy and patience.
Mount St. Mary's (2-3) had won two straight.
The Mount shot 30 percent from the field, sank only three of 15 three-point attempts and was out-rebounded significantly by the Retrievers, who stayed unbeaten (3-0) after a nine-day lapse since winning the Battle of Baltimore championship.
"We've got to do a better job when teams toughen up on us. We have to respond," said Mount coach Jim Phelan, who is in his 49th season. "We did not finish on our drives, and the second half we gave up too many easy shots. I don't think we were tough enough."
An 0-for-9 start from the field did not deter the Mount from taking a 7-6 lead on Charles Cook's jumper.
"I think we were a little nervous at the beginning, but we were able to sustain with our defense," said UMBC coach Tom Sullivan, who, per team policy, sat team scoring leader Kareem Washington for 18 first-half minutes after he picked up two quick fouls.
"The second half we prevented them from getting easy baskets, and in one stretch our big kids came alive."
Dominance inside by Andrew Feeley and Eugene Young enabled UMBC to get the fast break in gear, and Washington thrived, finishing with 21 second-half points and a game-high 23 points overall.
"We were pushing the ball after getting the rebound or the block," Washington said. "They were on their heels."
Justin Wilson scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, fueling the attack until Washington returned.
"I expected him to be out there a little longer than that, so I had to step up and make some things happen," said Wilson, one of only two UMBC seniors.
MOUNT ST. MARY'S - Atangana 5-8 2-2 12, Epps 1-3 0-0 2, Thompson 4-12 0-0 10, Sumner 1-4 2-2 4, Christian 1-10 0-0 3, Butler 3-4 6-6 12, Carbone 0-1 0-0 0, Adasi 4-10 0-0 8, Cook 1-6 0-0 2, Rivera 0-8 0-0 0. Totals 20-66 10-10 53.
UMBC - Williams 1-3 2-4 4, Young 0-2 2-2 2, Washington 10-16 1-2 23, Gogerty 3-9 0-0 7, Wilson 7-9 1-1 15, Dinkins 1-1 0-0 2, Snyder 0-0 0-0 0, Hatcher 3-6 3-5 9, Feeley 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 27-50 11-17 68.
Halftime-UMBC, 25-18. 3-point goals-Mount St. Mary's 3-15 (Atrangana 0-1, Thompson 2-4, Sumner 0-1, Christian 1-2, Butler 0-1, Carbone 0-1, Adasi 0-3, Cook 0-2), UMBC 3-9 (Washington 2-3, Gogerty 1-3, Wilson 0-1, Hatcher 0-2)). Rebounds-Mount St. Mary's 32 (Atangana 7), UMBC 41 (Feeley 12). Assists-Mount St. Mary's 5 (Sumner 3), UMBC 18 (Gogerty 7). Total fouls-Mount St. Mary's 20, UMBC 15. Fouled out-Epps. Technical fouls-None. A-1,722.