Baltimore, Md. – UMBC women's basketball looks to continue its four game win streak as they begin the second half of conference play by hosting New Hampshire on Saturday night at UMBC RAC Arena. New Hampshire, who sits just ahead of UMBC in the conference standings, is on a win streak of its own, having won the last two games. Troy Green will call the game live on www.umbcretrievers.com. Fans can also follow the live stats with links to both inside the full story or on the UMBC women's basketball schedule page.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC extended its win streak to three straight games with a 63-37 win over second place Binghamton, marking the first time in UMBC's three-year conference history they have won three consecutive league games. UMBC trailed 10-3 with 13 minutes left in the first half only to step up play on both ends of the court, holding the Bearcats to three points the remainder of the half and go on a 27-3 run to take a 30-13 lead at the break. UMBC extended its run to 32-3 by scoring the first five points of the second half. Binghamton entered the game leading the league in field goal percentage and points per game, but was held to season lows in both categories. Amanda Robinson led the Retriever offense, scoring 16 points to go with eight rebounds. Brittnie Hughes tallied 14 points for her second consecutive double figure game while Heather Luttrell off the bench tallied eight points and a season-high seven rebounds.
WILDCAT UPDATE: New Hampshire enters the game off a hot shooting night at Boston U., defeating the Terriers 83-71 behind 51.3 percent shooting and five players reaching double figures. Danielle Clark, Ray Williams and Ashley Cerniglia each tallied 18 points with Williams pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Clark leads the team on the season at 14.9 ppg while Williams is averaging 11.3 ppg.
Who's Up Next: UMBC travels to take on Boston U., on Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m. in Case Gymnasium.
RETRIEVER GAMEDAY
Game Notes: UMBC against New Hampshire is the Retrievers 20th game of the season, ninth in the America East Conference and eighth home game. The game marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs with New Hampshire holding a 4-1 all-time advantage. Earlier this year UMBC held an 11-point lead with 9:33 to play, but saw the Wildcats rally to tie the game at 56-56 with just over five minutes to play and over take the lead moments later. New Hampshire finished 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the remaining minutes to seal the win. UMBC was led by Matea Pender with 20 points, her second consecutive 20-point outing. Danielle Clark led the Wildcats with a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds. UNH currently has a three-game win streak on the Retrievers after sweeping the season series last year. UMBC's only win against New Hampshire came at Lundholm Gymnasium, as the Retrievers defeated UNH 48-47 in UMBC first year in the conference.
RETRIEVER QUICK SHOTS
- Swarming Defense...UMBC's defense has been swarming the past three games, holding opponents to 42.0 ppg and 28.0 percent shooting during that span. Over the last two games, the Retriever defense has held two of the top offensive teams in the league to season lows in field goal percentage and points per game. Against Binghamton, who entered the game leading the league in points per game and field goal percentage, the Bearcats were held to season lows of 29.2 percent shooting from the field and scoring 37 points. Binghamton's previous season low was 53 points in the opener against Kansas. UMBC held Stony Brook to 48 points, the first time this season they did not score out of the 40's as they shot a season low 28.6 percent. UMBC's defense has 16 blocks (5.3 bpg) and 26 steals (8.7 spg) in the last three games.
- Retrievers Contributions Coming From All Angles...UMBC is getting a little assistant from everyone as of late. Against Binghamton Amanda Robinson netted 16 points with 14 by Brittnie Hughes. Heather Luttrell came off the bench to spark the Retrievers in each half, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds. Prior to Binghamton, Sharri Rohde averaged 20.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg in two games while Matea Pender and Hughes tallied 19 points against Stony Brook.
- Pender Among Nations Elite...Senior Matea Pender, who last year led the nation in three-point field goal percentage for the majority of the year and finished the year third in the country at 48.8 percent, ranks 17th in the nation as of games through Jan. 30, 2006, averaging 44.7 percent from outside the arc, making 38-of-85 three-point field goals.
- UMBC Among Nations Top Assisters...UMBC in the last released NCAA statistics as of games through Jan. 30, 2006, ranked 13th in the nation with 17.3 apg. The NCAA Statistics are released every Tuesday afternoon.
- No Place Like Home...UMBC has a 6-1 home record this season with five of the final eight regular season games at RAC Arena. UMBC moved past its toughest schedule after playing five for the first seven league games on the road. UMBC's best home record was a 10-0 mark during the 1993-94 season.
News and Notes...
Stern Continues Growth of Retrievers' Program...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 11 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 11 wins are three more than its 2004-05 record of eight victories (UMBC recorded four wins in 2003-04).
- UMBC is on a three-game win streak, the longest since joining the America East Conference.
- UMBC's 11 wins are the most since Stern's first year, where he directed UMBC to a 14-16 mark.
- UMBC the last two years recorded its best start since joining division I, this year opening the year 6-1.
- UMBC's three conference wins tied last year's mark and are one off its 2003-04 mark of four wins, with eight games left in the regular season.
- UMBC is 6-1 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 12th in the RPI poll and fourth among I-AA conferences.
America East Conference Ranked 12th in RPI Poll...America East women's basketball teams are a combined 57-40 (.588) in the 2005-06 non-conference season. As a conference, America East currently ranks 12th in the nation in The Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Report, but more importantly, is fourth among I-AA conferences. Only the Colonial (eighth), Atlantic 10 (10th) and Missouri Valley (11th) are higher ranking I-AA leagues. America East has never finished 12th in the final RPI for a season and only once has it finished fourth among I-AA Conferences (2001-02). America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100. Hartford leads the conference with an RPI of 33, followed by Stony Brook (34) and Boston University (77).
Sharri Rohde Named America East Wilson Player of the Week...UMBC junior Sharri Rohde tallied back-to-back 20-point performances and averaged a double-double in two games against Albany and Stony Brook, leading to her first America East weekly conference honor. Rohde averaged a double-double with 20.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg. She shot 66.7 percent from the field making 16-of-24 field goals. Rohde dished out six helpers as well while blocking a shot and recording three steals.
Lending a helping hand...UMBC leads the America East Conference for the second consecutive season in assists per game and ranks 13th in the NCAA Statistics through games Jan. 30, 2006. The Retrievers to date have recorded 17.5 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 4.8 apg through 19 games this season. The junior point guard has 91 assists on the year, eight off her mark set last season.
Pender Reaches All-Time Top-20 Scoring Chart...Senior Matea Pender joined UMBC's all-time top-20 chart for points scored after recording 13 points against IPFW. Pender currently has 870 career points, 15th all-time.
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 needs seven treys to reach fourth on UMBC's all-time three-point baskets made chart.
Rohde's Perfect Day From The Field...Junior Sharri Rohde was a force inside against 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 75 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 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 208 career assists, 10th all-time and 58 career blocks, ranking tied 10th all-time. Amanda Robinson joined the top-15 for all-time blocks, ranking 14th with 44 in her career.
Hughes Joins All-Time Assists Chart...Junior Brittnie Hughes recorded three assists against Boston U. to joining UMBC's all-time top-15 for career assists. The Retriever point guard currently has 192 career assists, ranking 12th all-time.
Hughes Closing In On Single Season High Assists Mark...Brittnie Hughes with 91 assists on the year is closing in on her single-season mark of 99 assists set last year. Hughes with 91 assists ranks tied for eighth 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.
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.
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.
