BALTIMORE, Md. - Despite a high-scoring second period, the American University women's basketball team fell short in a 47-46 loss to UMBC on Wednesday evening.

With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 0-7 on the season, while the Retrievers moved to 3-3 on the year.

Junior Lauren Crisler led the Eagles with 13 points and eight rebounds, while senior Ari Booth added eight points. For the Retrievers, Capree Gardner and Pandora Wilson each scored 12 points to lead the way.

The Eagles started out slow, trailing 17-6 late in the first period, with almost all their scoring coming from the bench. However, American, led by nine second-period points by Crisler, used a 22-3 run to pull ahead before taking a 31-23 lead at the half.

Coming out of the break, the Retrievers started hot, answering every basket made by the Eagles. Wilson totaled eight points in the third period to bring UMBC back into the game, cutting AU's lead to 40-37 going into the fourth quarter.

"We started out a little flat in both halves," said American head coach Megan Gebbia. "We had to expend a lot of energy to come back, but it was nice to take the lead with some younger players on the floor. It gives us a glimpse of what next year might look like."

After AU pulled ahead 42-41 with just over six minutes remaining in the final period, UMBC took advantage of several American turnovers, going on a 6-0 run to take a five-point lead with 2:39 remaining. 

Late in the fourth quarter, American looked to make a run at a last-second win. Senior Michelle Holmes and freshman Kaitlyn Lewis both scored in the final 90 seconds of play to bring the deficit to one. With the shot clock turned off, the Eagles held for the final possession, but a shot into the side of the backboard gave the Retrievers the one-point victory.

For the game, American outshot UMBC and held a 41-27 advantage on the boards, but committed a season-high 25 turnovers. The Eagles were also just 0-for-1 from the charity stripe, while the Retrievers knocked down 7-of-10 free-throw attempts, including 6-of-6 in the second half.

The Eagles continue their three-game road stretch on Saturday, Dec. 5, when they visit James Madison in a 7 p.m. contest.