Baltimore, Md. - The UMBC women's basketball team (0-3) travels to the Naval Academy (2-4) to take on the Midshipmen in a non-conference match-up on Wednesday night in Alumni Hall. The game will air on the Naval Academy's radio network WNAV- 1430 AM. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. as the Retrievers and Midshipmen will meet for the 19th time in their storied histories.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: The Retrievers lost in their only action last week to the No. 13 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in the Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, N.C., last Saturday night. The Retrievers hung tough with the Tar Heels in the first period, holding them to their lowest first half output of the season at 35 points. Anastasia Goncharova (Russia, Moscow/The Newport School) had a game-high 18 points to lead all scorers as she hit six shots from behind the arc.
NAVY UPDATE: The Midshipmen completed a three-game trip in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic, falling to No. 2 Texas (97-46) in the opener, losing to No. 18 Arizona (67-61) and wrapping up the tournament with a loss to Syracuse (60-46). The Midshipmen are 2-4 on the year and led by Courtney Davison with 14.5 ppg. Adrienne Roseti is also in double figures on the season averaging 12.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers return home to face local foe and Colonial Athletic Association member Towson in the RAC Arena on Tue. Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. The Retrievers and Towson have met in each of the last five seasons with UMBC winning all-five matches. The last time the Tigers beat the Retrievers was in 1994-95.
All-time Series vs. Navy: UMBC and Navy have had a storied history with this being the 19th time the two teams will have met. Navy has had the upper hand for the majority of the series, owning the all-time record 12-6 and winning the last two-games. The Retrievers last win came during the 2000-01 season with a 67-56 victory. The series dates back to 1978 when Navy one 69-44 in the inaugural meeting.
Last Meeting: Dec. 4, 2002 (Navy 52, UMBC 40)
First Meeting: Jan. 11, 1978 (Navy 69, UMBC 44)
UMBC's last win: Nov. 22, 2000 (UMBC 67, Navy 56)
Series Record: Navy leads the series, 12-6
First Of Two Vs. Patriot League…When the Retrievers tip-off with Navy, it will be the first of two Patriot League games for UMBC this year. The Retrievers also take on American on Dec. 18 at home in RAC Arena. UMBC is an all-time 12-28 vs. Patriot League opponents.
Rookies Coming To Play…The freshman class this season has put together solid numbers for the Retrievers in their debut, averaging 32.5 percent of the Retriever total scoring. Sharri Rohde, who leads the team in rebounding average, tallied eight points and eight boards against the No. 13 UNC Tar Heels. Heather Luttrell posted a team game-high 11 points in the opener and Courtney Doughman add seven in the Retrievers game against Iona.
From Down Town…Anastasia Goncharova has had a hot hand outside the arc, scoring a game-high 18 points in the loss to No. 13 North Carolina. Goncharova hit six treys in the game. Goncharova buried four more three-pointers against Iona to lead the Retrievers in scoring with 12 points in the game. On the season she has made 11 treys, shooting 40.7 percent from three-point land.
Getting The Nod…Head Coach Phil Stern gave freshman Sharri Rohde the starting nod in each of the Retrievers first three games as she earned her first collegiate start at the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament. Rohde logged 33 minutes with eight points and eight boards against the No. 13 UNC Tar Heels the last time out. Teammate and fellow freshman Heather Luttrell broke into the starting lineup for the first time at UNC give the Retrievers to rookies on the floor to open the game. Prior to UNC, the Retrievers had not started two freshman since the 2001-02 season when current Retriever Matea Pender earned all-rookie team honors.
Phil Stern Era Moves Into Second Season…Head coach Phil Stern has begun the second season in his tenure at the helm of the Retriever women's hoops program. Stern in his first season took the Retrievers to the conference title game for the first-time ever and posted a 14-16 record. Stern, known to revitalize struggling programs, continues to build for the future, bringing in six newcomers this year and signing three to National Letters of Intent for the 2004-05 campaign.
Starting From Scratch…With the departure of all-five starters from last year's squad, Phil Stern will be looking for players to step up into the starting roll this year. Out of the six returning players, the Retrievers have a total of 26 starts combined prior to the start of the 2003-04 campaign, an average of 4.33 starts per player. Matea Pender returns with the most total starts after earning the nod in 18 games her freshman year in 2001-02 before sitting out last season with a knee injury. Anastasia Goncharova has the most starts under head coach Phil Stern with four last year in 27 games played.
Turnovers Causing Trouble…Turnovers have plagued the Retriever offense this season as the squad has averaged 23.0 turnovers per game after finishing third in the nation last season with a mere 12.1 turnovers per game.
Retrievers New Beast In The America East…The Retrievers will make their first appearance in the America East this season as UMBC moves into the conference with all its 20-intercollegiate sports. Prior to this year, UMBC spent five seasons in the Northeast Conference and six in the Big South Conference. At the end of last season, the America East had a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 23 compared to 31 held by the NEC (second lowest).
Going Global…The Retrievers' 12-player roster contains three international players. The team's lone senior Mariana Santos is from Brazil while sophomore Matea Pender is a native of Croatia and junior Anastasia Goncharova is from Russia. In addition to players from the around the world, the majority of UMBC's squad is from outside the state lines. Maria Brown (Frederick, Md.) and Tyecia Powell (Baltimore, Md.) are the Retrievers' women's hoops only Maryland natives.
Hitting The Airwaves…UMBC will be featured on the airwaves a couple times this season. The Retrievers make their first appearance with a TV game on Saturday, Jan. 10 when they play Hartford at 12 p.m. on Comcast Sportsnet. WJFK-AM, THE JOCK will broadcast the first end of a men and women's doubleheader on Wed., Feb. 4 as veteran broadcasters Gary Stein and Paul Mittermeier will handle the play-by-play and analyst duties respectively. The Retrievers women's hoops can also be caught on Teamline on six different occasions. Teamline can be accessed through the basketball home page and is a free service provided by UMBC Athletics.
Leaders Of The Pack…UMBC head coach Phil Stern announced that junior Tyecia Powell and sophomore Betsy Butterick will be the captains for the 2003-04 season.
UMBC Picked 10th in Preseason Conference Poll…UMBC was picked to finish in last place in the preseason conference polled release by the America East Conference. Maine was a unanimous pick for the top spot receiving nine first place votes. Boston University was selected second followed by Vermont. UMBC, who is entering their first season in the AEC, did not place anyone on the preseason all-conference team.
Retrievers Ink Three For 2004-05…UMBC head women's basketball coach Phil Stern announced the signings of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend UMBC for the 2004-05 academic year. The list includes Indiana natives Kristin Drabyn (Avon, Ind./Avon) and Jennifer Ferguson (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) along with local talent Morgan Hatten (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill).
From The Training Room...Retriever freshman Brittnie Hughes (stress fracture) will be inactive for Wednesday evening's game. Hughes' injury occurred during the preseason practices and has not dressed for a game this season.
