CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Interstat) — The Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers capitalized on a historically poor shooting night from beyond the arc by the Virginia Cavaliers to secure a 61-56 upset victory in a non-conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

In a defensive struggle defined by frigid shooting, the Retrievers’ proficiency from three-point range proved to be the decisive factor. UMBC connected on 9 of 14 attempts from deep, a 64.3% clip, while Virginia failed to make a single three-pointer, missing all 14 of its attempts.

The Cavaliers’ offensive woes were stark, managing to convert only 19 of 59 field goal attempts overall. Virginia scored 56 points on 69 possessions, resulting in an offensive rating of 81.4. UMBC was only marginally more efficient from the floor, shooting 17 for 47, but their 61 points on 65 possessions yielded a more effective offensive rating of 93.3.

UMBC established control early, leading 19-15 after the first quarter and extending that advantage to 35-27 by halftime. Virginia mounted its strongest challenge in the third quarter, outscoring the Retrievers 19-15 to narrow the gap to 50-46 heading into the final period. The Cavaliers’ comeback bid, however, was continually stymied by their inability to score from the perimeter and a series of key plays from UMBC down the stretch.

Virginia’s Breona Hurd led all scorers with 22 points, adding three rebounds and four blocked shots. Romi Levy anchored the interior for the Cavaliers with nine rebounds. For UMBC, the scoring was more balanced. Gabby Scott and Heidi Williams each contributed 14 points, while Carmen Yanez added 11 points and dished out four assists.

Despite being outrebounded 15-6 on the offensive glass and committing 12 turnovers, UMBC’s defense held firm. The Retrievers also made 18 of 26 free throws, compared to Virginia’s 18 of 27.

The victory, played before a crowd of 3,531, improves UMBC’s record to 2-1 on the young season. The loss was the first for Virginia, which also now stands at 2-1. The result was a significant upset according to analytics, as Virginia had been projected with a 98.90 percent probability to win by Interstat’s ELO system.

UMBC will look to build on the momentum when they host Brown on Sunday. Virginia will aim to rebound at home against Radford the same day.