After coming out and scoring the first seven points of the game the Retrievers looked to be on their way to their first win of the season but they were completely stalled in the final seven minutes of the first half causing them to go into the locker room down by 11 points.

In that span of seven minutes UMBC was out scored 18-5 with a three by Matt Spadafora with 13 seconds left breaking a 5:29 scoring drought, but the damage was still down and the woes carried over into the second half.  Nine minutes into the second half UMBC trailed Coppin State by 19 points and while they got within four points with under two minutes remaining, it proved to be too much as the Golden Eagles scored 16 points after than, 14 of which came from the free throw line as UMBC attempted to preserve the clock, but they could not match a score from Coppin State as they only tallied four points.

“Guys have to understand you have to execute,” coach Randy Monroe said. “When teams get into you and teams force you and try and take you out of your stuff you have to execute.”

Despite out-rebounding the Golden Eagles, UMBC trailed in every other key statistical category, took too many bad shots, and gave up 17 turnovers.

“You can’t get out hustled and outworked by other teams and I think Coppin came in and did that,” Monroe said. “I think they came in and did the tough things you need to do to win game. They came up with second effort shots. They came up with loose balls. They came up with offensive rebounds. Our guys have to understand winning entails all of those teams.

“340 Division I teams want to win, but are they going to do the things or are they going to make the commitment, or are they going to be dedicated to doing the things they need to do in order to win. Right now I don’t see that in this group.”

While Monroe that some of the struggles are because it is a team with seven new players that are still gelling, he said he does not see a “passion” or “burning desire” in his team to get those wins.

Despite the loss there were two bright spots for UMBC: Robbie Jackson and Chris De La Rosa, as each set multiple career highs.

Jackson, the seven-foot transfer center from Marshall, set career highs in six categories; points (17), rebounds (11), field goals (six), free throws (five), and minutes (32) as he recorded his first career double-double.  He also only recorded two personal fouls which kept in him in the game and despite the loss now, if he continues to do that it could be key for UMBC later in the season.

“I was very happy with Robbie’s progression today,” Monroe said as he felt his performance was one of the few good moments of the game. “He really settled in today. I think he’s shown this is something he’s capable of doing and I think his best basketball is ahead of him.”

De La Rosa, the transfer point guard from Siena, also set multiple career highs in the game; points (12), assists (11), and field goals (five), as he also recorded a double-double.

“I think Chris De La Rosa was much better in the second half than he was in the first half,” Monroe said. “In the second half he did a pretty good job and had a pretty good floor game.”

While two other Retrievers scored in double-digits, Chauncey Gilliam with 20 and Shawn Grant with 11, only six Retrievers scored in the game as the other two were Spadafora with four and Adrian Satchell with two.

One of the big reasons for UMBC’s loss though was the constant attempts at three point shots. While Gilliam and Grant combined for five, the team went 7-22 from beyond the arc and lost a lot of processions on the misses.

“It was too much,” Monroe said. “We were out of sync. We were taking bad shots. The second half we were a little better but in the first half we were all over the place and when things like that happen we need a leader to step up and settle us down and do the job that we need to do.”

The other big area of concern was the defense, which Monroe has said has been a major issue all season.  The Golden Eagles scored 26 points in the paint and it was the third game UMBC gave up 70 points while Loyola came up just one point short.

“I still think my team is good, I just think they have to understand how to play the game and we have to understand on that on the defensive end we can’t just give up 77 points, or 90 points,” Monroe said.

Now with a 0-4 record it will definitely be tougher to get that first win as their next four games are all on the road with games against James Madison, Towson, Toledo, and Penn State.

“It’s college basketball. Whether you’re playing home or your playing on the road, teams have to find a way to get the job done.” Monroe said.