BALTIMORE--The UMBC women's basketball team concludes its three-game road trip Wednesday evening, taking on in-state rival Navy at 7 p.m. at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. Listen to play-by-play announcer Troy Green's call of the game on WVIE 1370 AM or www.v1370.com, or follow the game for free via Game Tracker. In addition, for a small fee you can watch live video streaming on Navy All-Access.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC is coming off a heartbreaking 58-56 loss at Loyola on Monday, and the Retrievers have lost five of their last six games. Senior guard Kristin Drabyn lit up the court, scoring a career-high 24 points and tying a personal best with six 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy added 17 points of her own and tallied a team-high six rebounds and four assists. The Retrievers tied a season high with 10 three-pointers and shot a season-best 43.5 percent from long distance. UMBC leads the America East in field goal percentage defense (.358) and ranks second in 3-point field goals with 6.88 made per game. Junior guard Melissa Book leads the conference in 3-point percentage (.550). Cassidy leads UMBC and ranks fourth in the America East with 14.3 ppg, while senior guard Morgan Hatten is tops on the team and fifth in the conference with 6.5 rpg.
MIDSHIPMEN UPDATE: Navy is 2-7 on the season and coming off a 63-51 loss at Radford on Friday, its fourth straight defeat. Center Cassie Consedine and guard K.C. Gordon posted a team-high 10 points apiece. Consedine leads the Midshipmen with 13.0 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Navy was picked to finish in a tie for sixth place in the Patriot League presason poll.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers return home on Sunday, Dec. 9, to face Northern Iowa. UMBC has never faced the Panthers and has played just one previous game against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent, Indiana State in 1997 (L, 51-49). The game will be the Retrievers' last before final exams, and the final home contest before the new year.
Inside the Series: Wednesday's game marks the 23rd all-time meeting between UMBC and Navy, and the Midshipmen hold a 14-8 series advantage. Navy won the first six matchups between the teams before the Retrievers won, 64-55, on Feb. 8, 1986, beginning a stretch when UMBC won four of five from the Mids. However, Navy has won seven of the last 11 meetings dating to 1992, including last season's 74-56 victory at RAC Arena. UMBC is 3-9 all-time at Alumni Hall. Navy is UMBC's fifth-most-frequent opponent behind Towson (41), Mount St. Mary's (37), Loyola (31) and Liberty (25).
Last season, UMBC dropped a 74-56 decision to Navy on Dec. 6, 2006, at the RAC Arena. Poor free throw shooting doomed the Retrievers, as they made just 15 of 31 foul shots (48.4 percent). Senior point guard Brittnie Hughes set a new career high with 23 points and shot 8-for-13 from the field. Navy held the Retrievers without a field goal for the final 7:10 of play. Margaret Knap led the Mids in scoring with 22 points off the bench, while forward Carly Meyer posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
News and Notes...
For Starters: UMBC opens the season 2-6 for the first time since the 2002-03 season and the the fifth time in 22 years at the Division I level. The Retrievers are 0-4 in the ninth game of the season in those years, and 5-16 in Game 9 since 1986-87, including wins in each of the last two seasons.
Lights Out: After coming off the bench in the last two games, senior guard Kristin Drabyn was back in the starting lineup against Loyola and certainly put on a show as she seemingly could not miss early on. Drabyn scored the Retrievers' first 12 points of the game on four 3-pointers. She had 17 points by halftime, surpassing her previous season high of 15 against Mount St. Mary's, and she finished with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. The six trifectas equal her career high, which she set last season against Texas State, and are also the best mark in the America East this season. The performance raised Drabyn's season scoring average from 6.1 ppg to 8.4 ppg, second-best on the team. Drabyn combined with sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy (17) to score 41 of the team's 56 points in the game (73.2 percent).
Tenacious D: The Retrievers' defense reached levels against Mount St. Mary's not seen at UMBC in more than a decade. The Retrievers held the Mountaineers to 40 points, the fewest UMBC has allowed since Feb. 1, 2006, when Binghamton scored 37 in a 63-37 Retriever win. In addition, the Mountaineers' 11 field goals and .200 shooting percentage are the lowest allowed by UMBC in at least 10 years and not far off the school records of nine field goals (Hood, 1981) and 17.3 percent (Bowie State, 1985). The Retrievers lead the America East in field goal percentage defense (.358) and rank third in scoring defense, allowing just 61.9 ppg.
Turning the Page: After playing sparingly during her first two seasons at UMBC, junior guard Melissa Book has averaged 21.0 minutes per game this season, including a career-high 30 against James Madison, when she scored a career-best 14 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range to lead the Retrievers. She doubled her previous career total of trifectas (4) in just one game. Book is averaging 6.1 ppg and has more than doubled her previous career average of 0.7 ppg to 1.6 ppg. Her .550 three-point percentage (11-for-20) is tops in the America East.
America East Recognition: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy was named the America East Player of the Week for Week 1 after averaging 18.0 ppg and shooting 43.5 perecent in two games. The award is the first of Cassidy's career and marks the first time a Retriever earned a Week 1 conference award since UMBC joined the America East in 2003.
Lighting a Fire: After struggling through the first five games of the season, averaging 4.6 ppg and shooting just 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from 3-point range, senior guard Kristin Drabyn was not in the starting lineup against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24 for the first time since March 10, 2006, snapping her streak of 38 consecutive starts. But against the Mount, Drabyn scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-for-7 from long distance, off the bench, raising her scoring average by 1.3 points.
Protecting the Ball: After averaging 23.3 turnovers in the first three games this season, including 25 against Coppin State, the most since committing 26 against Maine on Feb. 22, 2004, the Retrievers committed just 25 miscues in the next three games combined (8.3 tpg), dropping their season average to 15.8 tpg. UMBC finished the 2006-07 season ranking 12th in the nation with just 14.2 turnovers per game, and the Retrievers forced an average of 3.12 more.
Score-a-long Cassidy: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy posted a career night in the season opener against George Washington. She led all scorers with a career-high 24 points and added personal bests in rebounds (6), assists (3) and free throws (9-for-9). Cassidy scored 18 points in the second half alone, including 15 of the Retrievers' final 19 points. Her previous career high was 17, accomplished twice last year. Cassidy has scored in double figures in six out of eight games this season and leads the Retrievers with 14.3 ppg, the fourth-best mark in the conference.
Cleaning the Glass: Senior guard Morgan Hatten pulled down 15 rebounds against Rider on Nov. 11, the most by a Retriever since Monica Logan posted 16 at St. Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 8, 1999. Hatten tallied 10 rebounds in the first half alone to surpass her previous career high of nine. Hatten's 6.5 rpg this season lead the Retrievers and rank fifth in the America East.
Cleaning the Glass, Part II: UMBC posted 44 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24, the most since tallying 46 boards against NJIT on Nov. 26, 2006, and the Retrievers won the rebounding battle, 44-39, for the first time all season.
Three's Company: The Retrievers have made at least one 3-pointer in 79 straight games dating to Feb. 5, 2005, and they have made at least four in each game this season, including a season-high 10 against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24 and again at Loyola on Dec. 3. The Retrievers rank second in the America East and 45th in the nation with 6.88 three-pointers per game this season, including 8.67 over the last three contests. Guards Carlee Cassidy, Kristin Drabyn and Melissa Book all rank in the top 10 in the conference in that category, as well.
Drabyn for Three: Senior guard Kristin Drabyn ranks sixth all-time at UMBC with 112 career 3-point field goals and third with a career .340 shooting percentage from long distance. She sank her 100th career trifecta in the season opener against George Washington, becoming just the sixth player in UMBC history to reach that milestone. Drabyn's 68 3-pointers last season ranked second among all-time Retriever juniors and are the fourth-highest single-season total in UMBC history.
Charity Case: The Retrievers went 17-for-18 (.944) from the foul line in the season opener against George Washington and hit their first 16 free throw attempts of the game. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy led the way for UMBC, hitting all nine of her foul shots, marking the best perfect game for a Retriever from the foul line since Brittnie Hughes went 9-for-9 at American on Dec. 1, 2005. Cassidy equaled her total free throws from last season after going to the line only 11 times in 2006-07. Cassidy made 13 free throws in a row before missing her first attempt at Coppin State. She is now 24-for-28 (.857) from the foul line on the season, the seventh-best mark in the America East, and the Retrievers' .735 free throw percentage ranks third in the league.
Fresh Faces: Six newcomers join the Retrievers this season, including five freshmen and one junior college transfer. The group makes up the largest recruiting class in head coach Phil Stern's tenure. Leading the way are freshman point guard Michele Brokans, who has started every game so far this season and was the first freshman to start a season opener since Sharri Rohde in 2003-04, and junior guard Chantay Frazier, who ranks third on the team with 8.0 ppg. In addition,
freshman center Jenny Lidgren made her first career start at Loyola and ranks 11th in the America East with 0.75 bpg, while freshman center Chrissy Robinson played a career-high 25 minutes against the Greyhounds. Finally, freshman forward Meghan Colabella is averaging 6.3 mpg, and freshman guard Chelsea Barker is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor.
Playing Favorites: The Retrievers will face four teams that were picked to finish first in their respective conferences in 2007 preseason polls. George Washington was a unanimous selection in the Atlantic 10, as was Hartford in the America East. Coppin State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and Maryland (Atlantic Coast Conference) are also preseason favorites. The Colonials have won six consecutive A-10 titles, while the Eagles have won three MEAC crowns in a row and the Hawks have taken two straight in the America East. In addition, the Retrievers will take on four preseason conference players of the year in Rashida Suber of Coppin State (MEAC), Tamera Young of James Madison (CAA), Crystal Langhorne of Maryland (ACC) and Danielle Hood of Hartford (America East).
Shall We Dance: The Retrievers will face five teams that advanced to post-season play last season. George Washington (Nov. 9), James Madison (Nov. 16) and Maryland (Dec. 30) all competed in the NCAA Tournament after being ranked in the top 25 at some point during the season, while Hartford and Coppin State both participated in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). So far UMBC is 0-3 against those teams with losses to George Washington, Coppin State and James Madison.
Bragging Rights: UMBC will take on six of the nine Division I schools in the state of Maryland this season. The Retrievers have road games scheduled at Coppin State (Nov. 14), Loyola (Dec. 3), Navy (Dec. 5), Towson (Dec. 19) and Maryland (Dec. 30), and hosted Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24. So far UMBC is 1-2 against its in-state rivals with a win over Mount St. Mary's and losses to Coppin State and Loyola.
Retrievers Picked Sixth: For the second straight year, the Retrievers were selected to finish sixth in the America East preseason coaches' poll, equaling the program's highest billing since joining the America East in 2003-04.
Guard Dogs: With just four players taller than 6-feet, the Retrievers frequently employ a four-guard lineup around a center.
Frazier's Tribe: Junior guard Chantay Frazier is a full-blooded Choctaw Indian who lives on the Choctaw Reservation in Carthage, Miss. Frazier is believed to be UMBC's first full-blooded American Indian student-athlete.
Hatten's Many Hats: Senior guard Morgan Hatten has proved to be the most versatile player on the Retrievers' roster, as she has played nearly every position in her four years in a UMBC uniform. Hatten is the team's top returning rebounder and assister, and she ranked second in the America East with a 1.64 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. This year, Hatten ranks in the top 15 in the conference in rebounding, assists, blocks and steals.
Be a Good Sport: Senior guard Kristin Drabyn was the 2007 female recipient of the prestigious America East Sportsmanship Award. Viewed as the best teammate who always has a positive attitude, Drabyn excels on the court as well as in the classroom, as she maintains a 3.36 grade-point average (GPA) while majoring in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in communication and exercise physiology. The president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Drabyn is also extremely active in the community, mentoring local elementary school students twice a week, and she and three teammates spent Spring Break 2006 in New Orleans helping Habitat for Humanity with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
Banner Night: The Retrievers unveiled their America East Championship banner before the season opener against George Washington with a pregame ceremony that featured the return of many departed players from the title team.
Retrievers Ink Three: Three high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Retrievers in the fall of 2008. Michelle Kurowski is a 5-8 guard from Hicksville High School in Hicksville, N.Y., where she is a three-time All-Nassau County and All-Long Island honoree and was the Most Outstanding Player of the Nassau County playoffs after leading Hicksville to the county championship. Katie Brooks, a 5-9 guard out of Heritage High School in Maryville, Tenn., is the third all-time leading scorer in school history and was named one of the top 25 prospects in the state by Tennesse Hoops Magazine. Erin Brown is a 5-10 guard from Walt Whitman High school in Bethesda, Md., who led her team to the state semifinals last season.
From Captain to Coach: Former UMBC standout Sharri Rohde joins the Retrievers on the bench this season as an assistant coach. UMBC's all-time Iron Woman, who started all 117 games in her career, graduated in 2007 after becoming just the third player in UMBC history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in her career. Rohde was named to the America East All-Conference second team last season for the second year in a row.
Against the Patriot League: UMBC is 16-32 all-time against Patriot League opponents. Lafayette is the only team agaisnt which the Retrievers have a winning record (2-0). UMBC's most wins have come against local rivals Navy (8-14) and American (5-7). The Retrievers have never beaten Colgate or Holy Cross.
Retrievers All-Access: All of the Retrievers' home games will be video streamed for free through UMBC's new multimedia website, www.UMBCRetrievers.tv. In addition, all Retriever home games and a select road contests will be broadcast live via www.UMBCRetrievers.com or WVIE 1370 AM (www.v1370.com). The Retrievers' next live broadcast will be Dec. 9 against Northern Iowa.
Aye-Aye, Captain: Seniors Kristin Drabyn and Morgan Hatten and junior Melissa Book have been named team captains for the 2007-08 season. Book is the first underclassman to serve as a team captain since Sharri Rohde and Heather Luttrell shared the honor as juniors in 2005-06.
