Baltimore, Md. – The No. 5 seeded UMBC women's basketball team travels to Hartford, Conn., to play No. 4 seeded Binghamton on Friday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m. in the America East Conference Tournament quarterfinal round held at the University of Hartford. UMBC and Binghamton split the season series this past year. A win Friday secures a spot in the semifinals to beheld on Saturday. For broadcast information, go inside the full story.
Broadcast Information: Fans unable to make the America East Conference Tournament will have plenty of media avenues to follow the Retrievers. UMBC will air through its website broadcast at www.umbcretrievers.com. Troy Green will call the play-by-play for all UMBC games beginning on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Fans should also check out the America East Conference's official website (www.americaeast.com) championship section to follow the entire tournament. Up-to-date brackets, times, live stat links and AE Television Information will be constantly updated through out the tournament. America East Television will broadcast both semifinal games on Saturday and the championship game held on Sunday with live video streaming for Saturday and Sunday games. Links to the Retrievers audio broadcast and the America East Championship site are located at the top of the page.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC heads into the conference tournament after having a streaky conference season. The Retrievers dropped their first five league games, only to turn around and become one of the hottest teams in the league by winning six straight games. After an overtime loss to top seeded Hartford, which snapped UMBC's six-game win streak, the Retrievers rallied to defeat Maine at home but than lost the next three conference games leading to a fifth seed for the league tournament. The number five seed is UMBC's highest seed in a league tournament since being the No. 4 seed for the 2000-01 Northeast Conference Tournament. The Retrievers have yet to win an America East Conference Tournament game, losing the past two seasons to Northeastern in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 game. UMBC split the season series with every conference opponent this year except Hartford, who swept both games against the Retrievers. UMBC is led by Matea Pender at 12.6 ppg. Pender has double figures in 19-of-27 games this season. Sharri Rohde ranks second on the team at 12.4 ppg and is the Retriever top scorer in league play. Rohde averaged 14.8 ppg during conference play to go with 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg and 57.1 percent shooting from the field. Rohde is the only player in the league to rank in the top-11 in conference games only for scoring (fifth, 14.8 ppg), rebounding (11th , 6.4 rpg), assists (8th , 2.94 apg) and field goal percentage (3rd , 57.1 percent). Rohde scored double figures in 13-of-16 league games. Brittnie Hughes is the third Retriever to average double figures on the season at 10.8 ppg. Hughes leads the Retrievers and ranks second in the league in assists at 4.30 apg.
BEARCAT UPDATE: Binghamton has gained momentum over the last two weeks of the conference season en route to the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. The Bearcats were on a four game slide, its longest of the season, before beating UMBC 61-52 at home on senior day, sparking a three-game win streak to end the regular season. Laine Kurpniece leads the Bearcats at 12.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Teammate Rachel Laws, who missed five games due to an ankle injury, ranks second on the team at 10.9 ppg while adding 5.6 rpg. Both Kurpniece and Laws are over 50.0 percent shooters from the field. Jen Blues has the ability to have a hot hand from outside the arc and ranks third on the team at 10.4 ppg.
Who's Up Next: A win would send UMBC to the semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. UMBC will take on the winner of the No. 1 seed in Hartford vs. the winner of No. 9 seeded Albany and No. 8 seeded Maine. Two wins and UMBC will be in the Championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Game Notes: UMBC against Binghamton is the Retrievers' 28th game of the season, first in the America East Conference Tournament and second neutral site game. The game marks the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs with Binghamton holding a 4-2 all-time advantage. The game also marks the third time the two teams will meet this season with both teams winning on their respective home courts during the regular season. UMBC won the first game 63-37, dealing the Bearcats their largest margin of defeat this season and holding them to a season low in points. Binghamton responded by defeating UMBC 62-51 in Binghamton, sending UMBC into a three-game slide. Rachel Laws only played one game but scored 16 points against UMBC during the season series. Jen Blues in two games averaged 9.0 ppg for the Bearcats. UMBC in two games was led by Sharri Rohde with 14.5 ppg, Amanda Robinson at 12.0 ppg and Brittnie Hughes at 11.0 ppg. UMBC outshot Binghamton 44.4 percent to 33.3 percent in the series.
Retrievers Take Third Shot At AE Conference Tournament...When UMBC meets Binghamton in the quarterfinal round of the America East Conference Tournament it will be the third time UMBC has competed in the America East Tournament after moving to the conference for the start of the 2003-04 season. UMBC the last two season was the No. 10 seed heading into the tournament, both years playing No. 7 seeded Northeastern in the opening round. UMBC lost in 2003-04 to Northeastern by a score of 55-30 and lost last season to Northeastern 49-48. UMBC's last conference tournament win was during head coach Phil Stern's first season and the Retrievers last season in the Northeast Conference as Stern took UMBC by the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to face No. 1 seeded St. Francis (Pa.) in the Northeast Conference title game. UMBC came one win away from its first NCAA Tournament berth that year. UMBC all-time in Division-I conference tournaments is 3-13 with its highest seed a No. 2 in 1993-94 and 1990-91. UMBC has reached the semifinals twice and the finals once during its Division-I era. UMBC last year set the fourth best field goal percentage by a team in an America East Conference Tournament game, shooting 58.3 percent on 21-of-36 from the field.
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 29, followed by Hartford (38) and Boston University (85).
A Tale of Two Halves...UMBC's win against Maine at home was a tale of two halves for the Retrievers as UMBC scored a season-low 13 points in the first half, only to come out and score a season-high 47 points in the second half for the 60-47 win. UMBC overcame a 13 point deficit in the game for the win. The Retrievers shot 6-of-30 from the field for 20.0 percent in the first half only to respond with a 15-for-24 performance in the second half, shooting 62.5 percent in that stanza.
Rohde Keeping The Retrievers Rolling...UMBC's junior Sharri Rohde in conference games only ranks third in field goal percentage at 57.1 percent, fifth in scoring at 14.8 ppg, eighth in assists at 2.94 apg and 11th in rebounding at 6.4 rpg, making her the only player to rank in the top-11 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 13-of-16 conference games.
Swarming Defense...UMBC's defense holds some of the better numbers in the conference, ranking second in field goal percentage defense at 37.7 percent and second in scoring defense, holding opponents to 58.1 ppg. UMBC has the sixth best three-point field goal percentage defense at 32.6 percent and is third best in rebounding defense at 35.5 rpg. UMBC this season when holding opponents to under 60 points is 14-1.
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 just cracked the Retrievers' top-20 in points scored and has 769 for her career. Hughes is closing in on 600 career points after passing the 500 mark earlier this year.
No Place Like Home...UMBC finished the 2005-06 season with a 9-3 home record, its best record at RAC Arena since going 10-0 during the 1993-94 season. UMBC's nine home wins are tied for the fourth most wins at home in a single-season in UMBC history.
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 25th in the NCAA Statistics through games Feb. 27, 2006. The Retrievers to date have recorded 16.4 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 27 games this season. The junior point guard has 116 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 scored three three-point baskets against Stony Brook to jump up to third all-time. She needs three more treys to reach second.
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 83 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 tied for eighth 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 238 career assists, ninth all-time and 63 career blocks, ninth all-time. Amanda Robinson ranks 13th with 49 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 217 career assists, ranking 10th all-time.
Hughes Sets New Personal Single Season High Assists Mark...Brittnie Hughes with 116 assists on the year has set a new personal single-season mark for assists. Hughes with 116 assists ranks second 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.
