Klupenger went 6-for-10 from the field including 5-for-6 from three while senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) chipped in with 10 points. Stony Brook (4-13, 1-3 AE) held UMBC to 26.9 percent shooting in the first half but the Retrievers (9-8, 3-1 AE) shot 58 percent in the second half.
Stony Brook came out on fire, hitting 10 of its first 15 shots to jump to a 24-14 lead just past the midway through the first half. Klupenger did much of the damage, connecting on her first four field goal attempts all from three.
But the Seawolves then went cold, going scoreless over the 9:11 of the half as UMBC ended the period on a 10-0 run and teams went into halftime tied at 24.
Michelle Kurowski opened the second half with a jumper to give the Retrievers their first lead since the early going as UMBC scored scored nine of the first 11 points to take a 33-26 lead.
Stony Brook got within 37-34 on a three and a jumper from Klupenger but UMBC then rattled off nine straight points, taking a 46-34 advantage on a Lauren Chase three with 12:36 remaining.
An inside hoop from junior Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) ended the UMBC spurt and cut the Seawolves deficit to 10. The Retrievers followed with eight more unanswered points though to take a 54-36 lead with 9:06 left.
Stony Brook got no closer than 16 the rest of the way as UMBC handed the Seawolves their third straight loss. Erin Brown led the Retrievers with a game-high 20 points.
The Seawolves return to action on Saturday, hosting Boston University at Pritchard Gymnasium. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
