UMBC heads to the Best Western Roundball Classic held at the University of South Florida on Saturday Nov. 27 and Sunday, Nov. 28. UMBC will take on BIG EAST program and tournament host South Florida in the opening round on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fans can listen to South Florida's broadcast of follow the live stats by clicking on the link in the Retrievers 2005-06 schedule section. UMBC will take on either Robert Morris or Loyola (Ill.) on Sunday at 12 or 2 p.m.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2002-03 season, head coach Phil Stern's first year at the helm of the Retriever program. UMBC is coming off a 76-58 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the finale of the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament as the Retrievers won their home tournament. Senior Matea Pender tallied 16 points against FDU and was named tournament most valuable player after back-to-back double-digit performances and a 14.5 ppg average over the two games. Brittnie Hughes led the Retriever offense that dished out 24 assists in game one and 26 assists in game two of the tournament. Hughes tallied eight assists for a career high. Amanda Robinson tallied her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the tournament title game.
BULLS' UPDATE: The University of South Florida Bulls moved to 3-0 on the year with a 98-60 win over Jacksonville on Wednesday night. USF (3-0) put six players in double figures led by Nalini Miller and Jessica Dickson, who tallied 21 and 20 points respectively. Dickson had her second straight 20-point game and the 25th of her career. She scored 23 points against Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 20. Dickson was also in double figures for the 18th straight game dating back to last year.
Who's Up Next: UMBC will play either in the consolation or championship game of the Best Western Roundball Classic against Robert Morris or Loyola (Ill.) on Sunday.
RETRIEVER QUICK SHOTS
- UMBC has used a very deep bench the first two games of the season with 11 players seeing significant minutes and all 13 available players seeing action in each game on the season. UMBC in two games is averaging 26.5 bench points per game. Sophomore guard Kristin Drabyn leads UMBC off the bench with 7.5 ppg.
- UMBC tallied 24 assists against Morgan State and 26 against Fairleigh Dickinson as the Retrievers have twice surpassed last season's single-game mark of 23 assists against Lafayette. UMBC last season led the America East Conference in assists at 15.0 per game. The Retrievers' single-game mark for assists is 27, set in 1985 against Shippensburg.
- Brittnie Hughes dished out a career-high eight assists against Fairleigh Dickinson and is averaging 6.0 apg through the first two games of the season. The junior point guard led UMBC with 99 assists on the year last season and ranked among the conference leaders in the category.
- Amanda Robinson's six blocks against Morgan State tied Eunice French for the most blocks recorded in a single game by a Retriever. Robinson had three blocks in the first five minutes against Morgan State.
- UMBC as a team blocked nine shots against Morgan State, with Amanda Robinson recording six, Nicole Dixon recording two and Mackenzie Butler one. UMBC on the season is averaging 5.5 bpg.
- UMBC has not had one player play over 30 minutes to date this season. In 14 out of the final 18 games last season, at least one player on the Retriever squad played all-40 minutes. Sharri Rohde leads UMBC with 11 40-minute nights in her career while Brittnie Hughes has logged all the minutes on the court on seven occasions.
- Senior Matea Pender was named Retriever Tip-Off Tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 14.5 ppg in the two games. Pender shot .500 from outside the arc, making 5-for-10 while shooting 47.6 percent from the field on 10-of-21. Pender added 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the two-day event.
- Amanda Robinson recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson. Dating back to last season, Robinson has double-digit scoring in four of her last five games.
- Brittnie Hughes has a streak of three consecutive games with double-digit scoring dating back to last season's finale. Hughes scored 15 points in the America East Tournament in the Retrievers' final game of the season. In two games this year, Hughes has scored 11 points against Morgan State and 13 points against Fairleigh Dickinson. Hughes earned a spot on the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament All-Tournament team for the second consecutive season after her performance over the weekend.
- UMBC has been very efficient from the field to date this season with the Retrievers shooting 45.0 percent. In the second half against Fairleigh Dickinson, UMBC shot 56.7 percent from the field on 17-of-30, including a spurt within a 2:30 minute span that point guard Brittnie Hughes hit four consecutive baskets and scored 11 points on three three-pointers and a two-pointer. UMBC against Morgan State shot 42.4 percent from the field and shot 47.6 percent against FDU.
- Junior Sharri Rohde extended her streak to 58 consecutive starts and has not missed a start in her entire collegiate career, starting all 28 games as a freshman and sophomore and every one this year.
News and Notes...
UMBC Captures Tip-Off Tournament Title...UMBC for the first time in the three-year history of the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament captured the title, defeating Morgan State, 72-50, in the opening round to advance the championship game against Fairleigh Dickinson. UMBC went on to beat FDU, 76-58, to win the title as Matea Pender earned tournament most valuable player honors and Brittnie Hughes made the all-tournament team.
UMBC Opens At 2-0...UMBC opened the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2002-03 season, head coach Phil Stern's first year with the Retrievers. The last time UMBC opened a season at 3-0 was 1989-90, where the Retrievers won The Big Four Classic hosted by UMBC with wins over Coppin State and Loyola before defeating Liberty.
Pender's Lead...Matea Pender in UMBC's two wins this season has led the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 ppg. Last season in UMBC's eight wins Pender average 19.0 ppg, shooting 52.9 percent from the field (55-of-99) and 65.9 percent from three-point range (29-of-44). In four of the eight games Pender scored 20 or more points.
UMBC 2-0 Against Former Conference...Entering the season UMBC had a chance of facing to former conference foes in the Northeast Conference in Fairleigh Dickinson and Robert Morris. UMBC met Fairliegh Dickinson in the championship game of the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament, defeating the Knights, 76-58, to go to 2-0 against NEC opponents since leaving the league. UMBC this weekend has a chance to meet Robert Morris, who was picked to win the NEC this season. Robert Morris takes on Loyola (Ill.) at the South Florida Best Western Roundball Classic with a chance to face UMBC on Sunday, Nov. 27.
UMBC Adds Two Non-Conference Games In 2005-06...With Northeastern having moved to the Colonial Athletic Conference, UMBC will play two less conference games and added two non-conference games to the 2005-06 schedule. UMBC will play 16 conference games, eight home and eight away, and face 11 non-conference opponents, leading up to the America East Tournament.
America East Tournament Returns To Hartford...For the third consecutive season the America East Conference Championships will return to Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on the campus of the University of Hartford. Hartford has hosted the conference tournament the past two seasons, including winning the league tournament last season.
Hitting the Airwaves...UMBC will hit the airwaves with six games broadcasted live on WLG-1370 AM, all home games and some away games via www.umbcretrievers.com and a televised game against Vermont on Feb. 12 at RAC Arena. All WLG broadcast games will also run live via the website for fans outside the broadcasting network. UMBC will also broadcast live stats via the web for all home games at RAC Arena.
International Students...UMBC has developed a reputation for having international students on its roster, including two in 2005-06. UMBC has graduated two international students the last two years and will graduate senior Matea Pender at the conclusion of the upcoming season.
UMBC Inks Two for 2006-07...UMBC head women's basketball coach Phil Stern announced the signings of two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend UMBC for the 2006-07 academic year. Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) and Leanne Crockett (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) are both slated to become freshman at UMBC in the fall of 2006.
Retrievers Picked Ninth In Preseason Conference Poll...The UMBC women's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the America East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Hartford was the league's pick to win the conference after taking the league tournament title last year. Boston U. and Maine were selected to tie for second.
