BALTIMORE, Md. - Junior guard Abby Antognoli scored a career-high 25 points to push Lafayette to a 59-53 win at UMBC on Wednesday night at Chesapeake Arena.

The Bay Head, N.J. native added two assists, two boards and three steals while shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 5-for-9 from downtown.

The Retrievers got off to a hot start, taking a 13-0 lead thanks to buckets from four different players. The Leopards fought back with their own 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to five points with 1:59 remaining. UMBC led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.

With 8:21 left in the half, Antognoli knocked down a triple to bring Lafayette within one point of UMBC (16-15). Neither team scored a basket until Antognoli was fouled attempting a three-pointer with 5:25 to go. She made two at the line to give the Leopards their first lead of the game, 17-16. Two foul shots from senior guard Makayla Andrews (12 points) late in the half provided the Maroon and White a 23-20 lead heading into the intermission.

Antognoli kept up her quality shooting by draining a triple just over a minute into the second half. Anna Blount and Kayla Drummond (three points) exchanged field goals prior to Lafayette going on a short 5-0 run courtesy of buckets from junior guard Kylie Favours (five points). UMBC responded with a 9-0 run of its own, ultimately retaking the lead 34-33 with 3:20 left in the third. Buckets from Andrews and sophomore forward Emma Shields (five points) awarded the Leopards a 37-35 lead with one quarter remaining. Shields added a career-high four steals with two rebounds in 19 minutes .

Lafayette opened the final quarter with a 7-0 run after junior forward Halee Smith, Antognoli and sophomore guard Sauda Ntaconayigize all dropped in points. The Retrievers then went on their own 7-0 spurt, leaving the score at 44-42 in favor of the Leopards with 6:31 remaining. Lafayette led 53-51 with 50 seconds to play before Antognoli was fouled, putting the Leopards in the bonus. The crafty point guard extended the Leopards'  lead to four points, forcing UMBC into a 2-for-1 situation. UMBC made a layup with 22 seconds left, but more free throws from Antognoli kept the Retrievers at bay. UMBC could not convert down the final stretch and the Maroon and White emerged victorious winning 59-53. 

As a team, Lafayette shot 40.4 percent from the field compared to 37 percent for UMBC. The Leopards managed a season-high 10 steals  as a unit and turned it over nine fewer turnovers than UMBC.  

Lafayette hits the road once again on Friday, to take on Rutgers at 7 p.m. in New Brunswick, N.J.