Fourth Quarter

The UMBC men's lacrosse team made sure it wasn't left with just another moral victory. After rallying from fourth-quarter deficits only to lose to Robert Morris and No. 19 Fairfield, the Retrievers finally got their upset, stunning No. 5 Maryland, 8-7, before an announced 1,410 at UMBC Stadium in Catonsville on Tuesday night. Sophomore midfielder Conor Finch recorded one goal and two assists and junior attackman Scott Jones scored both of his goals in a pivotal fourth quarter in which the Retrievers overcame a 6-3 deficit with five unanswered goals.

Columbia-based office developer Corporate Office Properties Trust, or COPT, posted an $87.2 million loss in the fourth quarter, the company reported Thursday, blaming a weak economic recovery and uncertainty over federal budget cuts. The net loss for the three months ended Dec. 31 compared with a profit of $16.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. "The on-going difficult operating environment, caused by the weak economic recovery and uncertainty surrounding federal budget cuts made 2011 a challenging year for COPT," Randall M. Griffin, chief executive officer, said in a statement.

First Mariner Bancorp said Monday that it lost almost $4 million during the three months ending Dec. 31, about the same as a year earlier after accounting for a one-time tax charge in the fourth quarter of 2010. It was the 19 t h straight quarter in the red for the Baltimore parent of 1 s t Mariner Bank, which is struggling to avoid a federal takeover. Not including the tax charge, the company lost $4 million a year earlier. The company lost $30.2 million during all of last year, down from $46.6 million in 2010.

While a great deal of scrutiny centered on what appeared to be Billy Cundiff's rushed field-goal attempt of 32 yards with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the Ravens' eventual 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game, could the kicker have been the hero earlier? On the offense's penultimate drive, the Ravens faced fourth down-and-6 from New England's 33-yard line. But rather than ask Cundiff to kick a potential game-tying field goal, the offense chose to go for it, which ended with quarterback Joe Flacco being pressured by Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork into throwing the football away.

The Ravens fell, 23-20, to the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game, but the result could have been potentially worse. After linebacker Brandon Spikes intercepted quarterback Joe Flacco's pass to tight end Ed Dickson on an inside post route in the fourth quarter, New England opened the ensuing series from midfield. But Tom Brady's attempt to quickly add to the Patriots' three-point lead was extinguished when Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard tipped Brady's bomb to wide receiver Matthew Slater and rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith collected the tipped ball before it touched the turf in the end zone.

With the Ravens clinging to a precarious four-point lead and the Cincinnati Bengals crossing midfield midway through the fourth quarter, the team needed a big play from the defense. It was no surprise to cornerback Cary Williams that outside linebacker Terrell Suggs provided. Suggs stripped Jermaine Gresham of the football after the tight end had made a short reception, and strong safety Bernard Pollard recovered the fumble at the Ravens' 40-yard line. Three plays later, running back Ray Rice scampered 51 yards for a touchdown and a more comfortable 11-point advantage.

Evan Singletary helped the Dunbar offense awaken at just the right time Monday night. Singletary scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as No. 4 Dunbar rallied from an early 11-point deficit and pulled out a 60-56 victory over No. 13 Lake Clifton. The Poets scored just 36 points in the first three quarters but still held a one-point lead over the host Lakers heading into the fourth. That's when Singletary and Dunbar began to click, as the Poets notched 24 points in the final quarter.

For all of his documented troubles regarding field-goal attempts of 50 yards or more, Billy Cundiff can take solace in the knowledge that he has been quite productive in the fourth quarter. Since 2010, the Ravens kicker has connected on all 14 field goals he has made in the final period. He added to that streak with a 39-yarder with 3:10 left in an eventual 16-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night. Cundiff, who made all three field goals that he attempted Thursday night, said he understands that the onus is on him to convert field goals, especially in fourth quarters.

With seven new players on a Blast roster that is now dominated by youth, it's understandable that the team may need some time to come together this Major Indoor Soccer League season. But not scoring a goal in its season home opener until the fourth quarter? By the time Max Ferdinand scored the Blast's first goal with 13:04 left to play on Saturday night, the home team had surrendered 13 points to the expansion Syracuse Silver Knights, who went on for a stunningly comfortable 18-7 win in front of an announced crowd of 8,087 at 1st Mariner Arena . Syracuse midfielder Andre Berenzon was the Blast's primary pest, scoring one two-point goal, one three-pointer and adding two assists to finish with seven points.

For the better part of 2 1/2 quarters Sunday, Joe Flacco spent nearly as much time on the ground as he did upright, the offense struggled to finish off drives, and the Ravens couldn't get anything going in the running game. When Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub found Jacoby Jones in the end zone on a 32-yard touchdown pass about midway through the third quarter, the Ravens found themselves behind in a game that they seemingly had in control. But in a dominating final 20 minutes, the Ravens, relying on some long completions from Flacco and a suffocating defense, scored the game's final 16 points to pull away from the Houston Texans and post a 29-14 victory in front of an announced 71,154 at M&T Bank Stadium.