– The UMBC women's basketball hosts Stony Brook on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Retrievers final home game of the 2005-06 season. Stony Brook (17-8, 10-4 AE) currently ranks second in the league while the Retrievers (15-10, 7-7 AE) are fourth in the conference standings. Senior Night ceremonies recognizing the contributions of seniors Catherine Gilbert, Matea Pender and Erin Voss will take place just before tip off. Troy Green will be on the call on the Retriever audio broadcast at www.umbcretrievers.com.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC dropped its second decision in the last three games but is still 7-2 over the last nine after falling 61-52 to Binghamton last Saturday. The Retrievers out shot Binghamton in the game with a 47.8 shooting percentage from the field compared to 37.3 percent by the Bearcats. Binghamton, however, utilized nine offensive rebounds and 18 trips to the charity stripe, making 16 of those attempts in the winning effort. UMBC was led by Sharri Rohde, who scored a game high 20 points. Rohde made 9-of-12 shots from the field but fouled out with 2:50 remaining on the clock and the Bearcats up by three points. Brittnie Hughes and Amanda Robinson each scored eight points while Mackenzie Butler led UMBC with six rebounds. Rohde average is up to a team-best 12.6 ppg. Matea Pender ranks second at 12.5 ppg followed by Hughes at 11.0 ppg.

SEAWOLVES UPDATE: Stony Brook is currently riding high after knocking off Hartford, 67-54, and defeating Albany, 80-71, last week. The Seawolves after losing to UMBC a month ago are 6-1 in their last seven games. Player of the Week recipient Mykeema Ford leads the Seawolves at 15.7 ppg followed by Jessica Smith at 14.9 ppg. Ford and Smith are the top scoring duo in the league, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in the league scoring chart. Dana Ferraro leads the league in rebounding at 11.3 rpg.

Who's Up Next: UMBC closes out the regular season at Albany on Saturday, March, 4 at 2 p.m.

RETRIEVER GAMEDAY

Game Notes: UMBC against Stony Brook is the Retrievers' 26th game of the season, 15th in the America East Conference and 12th home game. The game marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs with Stony Brook holding a 4-1 all-time advantage. Earlier this year UMBC defeated Stony Brook 70-48, holding the Seawolves to their lowest scoring out put of the season. The Retriever trio of Sharri Rohde, Matea Pender and Brittnie Hughes scored 58 of the Retrievers' 70 points in the game with Rohde tallying 20 points and Hughes and Pender each dropping 19 points. The Seawolves have been on a tear since the Retrievers victory as Stony Brook has won six of its last seven games. UMBC and Stony Brook are two of the most improved teams by wins in the country. Stony Brook has won nine addition games this season while UMBC has seven more wins from a year ago.

RETRIEVER QUICK SHOTS

- Conference Picture Coming Into Focus...UMBC currently sits tied with Binghamton and has a half game edge on New Hampshire in the middle of the conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season. Hartford has locked up the top spot. UMBC can finish anywhere between third and sixth place in the league standings, meaning the Retrievers will play in the quarterfinal round for the first time since joining the America East Conference. UMBC is projected to take on Stony Brook, Boston U., Binghamton or New Hampshire in the opening round.

- Swarming Defense...UMBC's defense continues to be a daunting tasks for opponents as the Retrievers rank first in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 36.9 percent shooting, second in three-point field goal percentage defense, keeping opponents to 35.1 percent outside the arc and second in scoring defense, holding opponents to 57.8 ppg.

- Rohde Keeping The Retrievers Rolling...UMBC's junior Sharri Rohde is averaging 17.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg and shooting 62.5 percent from the floor during the Retrievers' last nine games in which UMBC has went 7-2. Rohde in conference games only ranks first in field goal percentage at 59.6 percent, fourth in scoring at 15.5 ppg, ninth in assists at 3.00 apg and 10th in rebounding at 6.4 rpg, making her the only player to rank in the top-10 in all four categories in conference games. Rohde has earned two conference weekly honors during league play and tallied 20-plus points on four occasions. The Retriever forward has scored double figures in 12-of-14 conference games.

- UMBC Among Nations Best Improved Teams...UMBC is one of the nations most improved teams ranking tied for ninth with seven more wins than last year.

- UMBC Among Nations Top Assisters...UMBC in the last released NCAA statistics as of games through Feb. 20, 2006, ranked 19th in the nation with 16.8 apg. The NCAA Statistics are released every Tuesday afternoon.

- No Place Like Home...UMBC has a 9-2 home record this season with the Retrievers final home game and Senior Night on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. UMBC will honor senior manager Catherine Gilbert and senior athletes Matea Pender and Erin Voss. UMBC's best home record was a 10-0 mark during the 1993-94 season.

Nations Top Improved Teams

School 04-05 05-06 Dif.

St. Joseph's 7-23 18-8 11

William & Mary 4-24 15-11 11

Iona 6-22 16-11 10

Wichita State 5-22 14-12 9

Stony Brook 8-20 17-8 9

South Carolina 8-21 17-10 9

Elon 4-24 12-15 8

IUPUI 7-21 15-10 8

UMBC 8-20 15-10 7

Providence 1-22 8-18 7

Retriever Up Rising

Head coach Phil Stern continues to build the UMBC women's basketball program towards the top of the America East Conference, having made progressive steps forward each year. UMBC with 15 wins has surpassed its win total from the previous year for the second consecutive season. Below are current notes on UMBC's growth this season.

- UMBC's 15 wins are seven more than its 2004-05 record of eight victories (UMBC recorded four wins in 2003-04).

- UMBC's seven additional wins this season ranks UMBC as the ninth best improved team in the nation (see chart on page 3)

- UMBC's 15 wins secures UMBC with its first .500 season since going 15-13 in 1993-94.

- UMBC's 15 wins is the most regular season wins since wining 17 regular season games during the 1990-91 season.

- UMBC's 15 wins is tied for the second most wins since the Retrievers turned Division-I in 1986-87. UMBC's top seasons came in 1990-91 (17 wins), 1986-87 (15 wins), 1993-94 (15 wins).

- UMBC's six-game win streak (ended Feb. 14, 2006), was the longest since joining the America East Conference.

- The last time UMBC went on a six-game win streak was during the 1993-94 season in which UMBC set a school record with 10 consecutive wins.

- UMBC the last two years recorded its best start since joining Division-I, this year opening the year 6-1.

- UMBC's seven conference wins is the Retrievers' most wins in the league, topping the four-win mark set in 2003-04.

- UMBC is 9-2 at home, the best mark since going 10-0 in 1993-94.

- UMBC's current success is coming as the America East Conference is ranked 11th in the RPI poll and third among I-AA conferences.

News and Notes...

America East Conference Ranked 11th in RPI Poll...America East has maintained its 11th ranking in The Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Report and ranks third among I-AA conferences. Only the Colonial (eighth) and Atlantic 10 (10th) are higher ranking I-AA leagues. America East has never finished as high as 11th in the final RPI for a season and never as high as third among I-AA Conferences. America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100. Stony Brook leads the conference with an RPI of 31, followed by Hartford (39) and Boston University (75).

Pender, Rohde, Hughes Reaching New Career Scoring Milestones...Matea Pender, Sharri Rohde and Brittnie Hughes continue to reach new career milestones in the scoring category. Pender recently passed the 900-point barrier and is closing in on 1,000 career points. Pender ranks 15th all-time on UMBC's career scoring chart. Rohde blew by the 700-point plateau with 19 against Hartford while Hughes has past the 500-point mark. Rohde currently ranks 21st all-time and is 10 points shy of a top-20 ranking on the Retrievers all-time scoring chart.

Relentless Retrievers...UMBC has come-from-behind in 12 of its 15 wins this season, including three wins after trailing by 10 or more points. The Retrievers overcame a 10 point deficit by Albany, a 16 point deficit by Vermont and a 13 point deficit by Maine in conference games. UMBC also fought back from 13 down against Hartford to send the game to overtime.

Lending a helping hand...UMBC leads the America East Conference for the second consecutive season in assists per game and ranks 19th in the NCAA Statistics through games Feb. 20, 2006. The Retrievers to date have recorded 16.6 apg. UMBC has seven games with 20-plus assists this season, including 26 against Fairleigh Dickinson as the Retrievers came one assist away from their single-season mark of 27, set in 1985 against Shippensburg. Brittnie Hughes dished out a career-high 10 assists against Lafayette and is averaging 4.3 apg through 25 games this season. The junior point guard has 107 assists on the year, setting a new single-season high for her.

Sharri Rohde Named America East Wilson Player of the Week For Second Time (2-12-06)...UMBC junior Sharri Rohde tallied a career high 23 points against Boston U. and recorded her second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Vermont en route to her second conference player of the week award. Rohde averaged 19.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg on the week. Her first weekly award came for the week ending Jan. 30, 2006 after posting two 20-point performances. Rohde that week averaged 20.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg, shooting 66.7 percent from the floor.

Pender Becomes Fifth Retriever To Reach 100 Treys For Her Career...Senior Matea Pender recorded five treys against Drexel to become the fifth player in UMBC history to reach 100 career three-point baskets. Pender drained a three-pointer against Maine to tie for fourth all-time. She needs two to reach third.

Rohde's Perfect Day From The Field...Junior Sharri Rohde was a force inside at Hartford, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. Rohde scored 14 points, mostly on inside post moves for layups or short jumpers. UMBC's single-game record for field goal percentage is 100 percent on 10-of-10 shooting by Monica Logan. That record was set on January 4, 1997 against Niagara.

Rohde's Start Streak...Junior Sharri Rohde extended her streak to 81 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. Rohde ranks ninth all-time for starts.

Rohde Moving Up Assists and Blocks All-Time Charts...Junior Sharri Rohde, who is UMBC's active leader in assists, blocks and steals, is moving up the Retrievers all-time charts in the assists and blocks category. Rohde currently has 233 career assists, ninth all-time and 61 career blocks, ranking 10th all-time. Amanda Robinson ranks tied for 13th with 48 blocks in her career.

Hughes Joins All-Time Assists Chart...Junior Brittnie Hughes recorded three assists against Boston U. to join UMBC's all-time top-15 for career assists. The Retriever point guard currently has 208 career assists, ranking 11th all-time.

Hughes Sets New Personal Single Season High Assists Mark...Brittnie Hughes with 107 assists on the year has set a new personal single-season mark for assists. Hughes with 107 assists ranks fifth among all-time juniors with Shawne Heckler leading with 117 assists her junior year.

UMBC Sets Attendance Record At RAC Arena...On January 26, 2006, UMBC welcomed seven local middle and elementary schools to campus for "Midday Madness," as the Retrievers defeated Albany at RAC Arena in front of 1,312 fans, a UMBC women's basketball record. The activities for the day for the near 800 students included an educational speech from head women's basketball coach Phil Stern, a tour around campus guided by student-athletes, lunch in one of our dining facilities, and the women's basketball game at noon.

UMBC Featured on AE TV...The second installment of "America East On Campus" showcased a feature on the UMBC women's basketball team. The second show debuted on New England Sports Network (NESN) January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in a 30-minute window between two Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games, followed by a broadcast on Cox Sports Television at 9 p.m. A streaming video will also be available through the internet via America East All Access, provided by CSTV.

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.

Indiana Trio Make Most Of Trip To Hoosier State...UMBC's Indiana girls put on a show in front of some family and friends against IPFW and Butler. The Indiana trio combined for 31 points against IPFW. Kristin Drabyn scored a career-high 14 points, all in the second half. Sharri Rohde tallied 10 points while Heather Luttrell dropped seven points in the game. The trio shot a combined 63.1 percent from the field, making 12-of-19 shots. Against Butler, Rohde tallied a career-high 11 rebounds while Drabyn finished with her second double-digit performance, scoring 10 points.

Hughes Earns America East Conference Co-Player of the Week (12-4-05)...Brittnie Hughes was named America East Conference Co-Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 4, 2005. Hughes led UMBC to back-to-back wins as the junior point guard averaged 18.0 ppg and 6.5 apg in two contests. Hughes opened the week at American, scoring a career-high 19 points with nine assists and a 9-of-9 performance at the free throw line.

Hughes Named To Second All-Tournament Team...When it comes to tournaments, UMBC junior point guard Brittnie Hughes has stepped up to the challenge, earning a spot on both all-tournament teams this season. Hughes won a spot on the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament team after leading the Retrievers to the title. At South Florida, Hughes averaged 15.5 ppg and 4.25 apg to lead the Retrievers to a 1-1 mark. Last year Hughes was named to the 2004 Retriever Tip-Off Tournament team.

Block Party...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, Robinson's six, Nicole Dixon recording two and Mackenzie Butler one.

Pender Named MVP Of Retriever Tip-Off Tournament....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.

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.

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.

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.