Seventh-seeded UMBC capped its Cinderella run through the America East Women's Basketball Championship with a thrilling 48-46 victory over No. 1 Hartford on Sunday evening at the Events Center in Binghamton, N.Y. Freshman guard Carlee Cassidy scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Retrievers to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
UMBC (16-16) trailed throughout most of the first half, but Cassidy’s three-pointer with 5:51 remaining in the half gave the Retrievers a 23-20 lead, which they never relinquished. UMBC completed an improbable championship run, by beating the top-three seeded teams in the nine-team tournament. The Retrievers also bested No. 2 Stony Brook in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Vermont in the semifinals.
Amanda Robinson of UMBC was selected the championship's Most Outstanding Player as she netted 10 points in the win over Hartford and scored 46 points with 19 rebounds in the tournament.
Hartford (24-8) was led by Danielle Hood, who scored a game-high 17 points. Also scoring in double-figures for the Hawks was Diana Delva, who had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
The two-time defending champion Hawks had won the previous six contests between these two teams, before succumbing in the title contest.
UMBC became the lowest seed to ever capture an America East Championship. The previous low had been Hartford who won the 2002 Championship over Stony Brook as a No. 5 seed.
The Retrievers will learn their seed, opponent and destination for the NCAA Tournament on Monday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN's Selection Show. Hartford still has a good shot at earning an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament as the Hawks boast a 24-8 overall record and a top-40 RPI in the nation's 16th-ranked conference.
All-Championship Team
Danielle Hood, Hartford
Laura Sario, Binghamton
Amanda Robinson, UMBC
Sharri Rohde, UMBC
Carlee Cassidy, UMBC
Most Outstanding Player
Amanda Robinson, UMBC