BALTIMORE--The UMBC women's basketball team (9-18, 5-9 AEC) continues its season-ending three-game homestand Wednesday evening against America East rival Boston University (16-11, 9-5 AEC). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the RAC Arena. Watch the game live at UMBC's new multimedia website, UMBCRetrievers.tv, or listen to play-by-play announcer Paul Mittermeier's call of the game. As always, you can follow the game from your computer with LiveStats.
RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC is 9-18 on the season and 5-9 in America East play after falling to Vermont on Saturday, 71-62. The Retrievers will clinch the No. 6 seed in the America East Championships with a win or losses by Maine and New Hampshire. Four Retrievers scored in double figures against the Catamounts, led by senior center Amanda Robinson and senior guard Kristin Drabyn, who contributed 14 points apiece. Freshman forward Meghan Colabella was named America East Rookie of the Week after scoring 12 points and adding four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the game. Sohomore guard Carlee Cassidy has scored in double figures in all but three games on the year and leads the Retrievers and the America East with 17.0 ppg. The Retrievers lead the conference in 3-pointers made per game (7.3) and rank second in free throw percentage (.764).
TERRIER UPDATE: Boston University is 16-11 overall and 9-5 in America East play after a 70-58 victory at league rival Stony Brook on Saturday. The Terriers are currently in a three-way tie with Albany and Binghamton for third place in the conference. Senior guard Cheri Raffo led the Terriers with 25 points and five 3-pointers, while junior guard Christine Kinneary posted 17 points and eight assists and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line. Junior forward Jessica Burks-Wiley leads BU with 13.2 ppg and 6.0 rpg. The Terriers lead the America East in scoring (68.7 ppg), free throw percentage (.776) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1), while Kinneary leads the league in assists (6.96 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.54) and sophomore forward Aly Hinton is tops in free throw percentage (.851). In addition, senior forward Kasey Devine is the conference's best shot blocker (2.04 bpg).
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers conclude the season at home against league-leading Hartford on Saturday. UMBC is 2-9 all-time against the Hawks, including a loss in Hartford in early February, and the Hawks are 3-1 at the RAC.
Inside the Series...
Today's game marks the 11th all-time meeting between UMBC and Boston University, and the Terriers hold a 7-3 series advantage. The first meeting occurred on Dec. 27, 1991, a 76-64 victory for BU at the LaSalle Tournament. The teams did not meet again until the Retrievers joined the America East Conference in 2004, and they have met twice a year since. The Terriers won the first two meetings as league rivals, but the teams have split the season series in each of the last three seasons. BU won the first game this season, 72-62, at Case Gymnasium. The Terriers are 3-1 all-time at RAC Arena.
In the teams' last meeting, Jan. 30, 2008, the host Terriers outscored the Retrievers, 50-24, in the second half to come all the way back from a 16-point halftime deficit and win the game. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy scored all 17 of her points in the first half, when the Retrievers shot 52 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from 3-point range while holding the Terriers to just 20.6 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from long distance. Junior guard Chantay Frazier scored a then-career-high 21 points and senior guard Kristin Drabyn added 18 on 6-of-9 shooting. BU sophomore forward Aly Hinton and junior guard Amarachi Umez-Eronini each posted double-doubles, as Hinton scored 23 points to go along with 14 rebounds and Umez-Eronini contributed 13 points and 16 boards.
News and Notes...
For Starters: UMBC is 9-18 for the first time since the 1989-90 season and just the second time in 22 years at the Division I level. The Retrievers won the 28th game of the 1989-90 season and are 3-9 in Game 28 since 1986-87. UMBC has played more than 27 games just 12 times in its Division I history, including each of the last six years.
400 and Counting: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy became just the 13th Retriever ever and only the third sophomore to score 400 points in a season on Saturday at Binghamton. Her 459 points are the seventh-best single-season total in UMBC history.
Drabyn for Three: Senior guard Kristin Drabyn broke Shalayna Johnson's school record of 151 three-pointers with 12:00 remaining in the first half against Albany on Feb. 20. She now has 162 in her career after sinking four against Vermont on Saturday. Drabyn also ranks third all-time with a career .347 shooting percentage from long distance. She sank her 100th career 3-pointer 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, while her 63 triples so far this season are the second-most all-time among Retriever seniors and the sixth-best single-season total in UMBC history. In addition, Drabyn's career total is tied for fifth all-time in America East history.
Cassidy for Three, Too: After sinking three trifectas at Binghamton on Feb. 16, sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy set UMBC's sophomore record with 61 three-pointers this season. She currently has 64 triples, the fifth-best single-season total in UMBC history. She has also moved into the Retrievers' all-time top-10 for career trifectas, as she is now seventh with 95, and she ranks fifth with a .322 career 3-point shooting percentage. Cassidy leads the America East with 2.37 per game on the season.
Three's Company: The Retrievers have made at least one 3-pointer in 98 straight games dating to Feb. 5, 2005, and they have made at least four in each game this season, a 43-game streak which dates to Jan. 17, 2007, at Hartford. UMBC has reached double figures in 3-pointers six times this season, including a season-high 12 against Northern Iowa on Dec. 9, and most recently tallying 10 against Maine on Feb. 9. The Retrievers lead the America East and rank 11th in the nation with 7.3 three-pointers per game this season. In addition, sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy leads the conference and ranks 53rd in the NCAA with 2.37 three-pointers per game, while senior guard Kristin Drabyn ranks second and 58th, respectively, with 2.33. The Retrievers' 197 three-pointers as a team this season are the third-most in school history. At their current pace, the Retrievers could break UMBC's all-time record of 217 trifectas, set during the 2002-03 season, in the first round of the America East Championships. Each of the top six season totals have occurred during head coach Phil Stern's tenure.
Rookie of the Week: Freshman forward Meghan Colabella was named Rookie of the Week on Monday for the second time this season. She scored 12 points in the Retrievers' lone game on the week, a 71-62 loss to Vermont. She added four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line, a career best. Colabella previously earned the accolade on Jan. 14 after scoring eight points and posting a then-career-best nine rebounds in UMBC's victory over Stony Brook. She is the first Retriever to win Rookie of the Week since Amanda Robinson on March 6, 2005, and just the third Rookie of the Week from UMBC in the program's five years in the conference. She is also the only Retriever to win the award more than once.
Charity Case: Senior guard Kristin Drabyn became UMBC's career free throw percentage leader on Feb. 22 at New Hampshire, when she went a perfect 7-for-7 at the line to make her 106-for-120 (88.3%) in her career. She is the only Retriever with more than 100 field goals made to boast a career mark of 80 percent or better. She has missed just four shots all year, and her .915 free throw percentage (43-for-47) would rank second in the nation if she met the minimum of 2.5 free throws per game. In addition, when sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy sank her 100th career foul shot at UNH, she moved into second place behind Drabyn on the career free throw percentage list at 79.1 percent. Cassidy has posted a 9-for-9 game from the line this season, against George Washington in the season opener, the best perfect game since Brittnie Hughes hit the same mark on Dec. 1, 2005. She ranks eighth in the America East with a .789 free throw percentage, which currently ranks as the sixth-best single-season mark in school history.
Charity Case, Part II: The Retrievers rank second in the America East and 16th in the NCAA with a .764 free throw percentage. UMBC has shot better than 90 percent from the charity stripe four times this season when going to the line more than 10 times, and had a perfect 7-for-7 game against New Hampshire on Feb. 2.
Top Dawg: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy is the America East's leading scorer with 17.0 ppg. Cassidy has scored in double figures in 24 out of 27 games this season, but she had her 13-game double-figure scoring streak snapped at Hartford on Feb. 5, when she was held scoreless. Cassidy also has six 20-point performances this season, and she has led the Retrievers in scoring 16 timess.
Halfway There: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy scored her 500th career point on Feb. 9 against Maine, making her just the ninth Retriever to reach the milestone in her second season during UMBC's 22-year Division-I history.
Stealing the Show: The Retrievers tied a season high with 13 steals at New Hampshire, equaling the mark they set on Nov. 24 against Mount St. Mary's. Averaging just 6.92 spg on the season, UMBC surpassed that mark in the first half with seven takeaways. Eight different Retrievers had at least one steal in the game, including sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy, whose career-high five were the most since Brittnie Hughes tallied the same number on March 3, 2007, against Hartford. In the last six games, the Retrievers are averaging 8.5 spg.
Double Your Pleasure: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy had her 13-game double-figure scoring streak snapped on Feb. 5 at Hartford, when she was held scoreless, but she has reached double digits in 24 out of 27 contests overall this season, including the last six. The 13-game streak was the longest by a Retriever since Matea Pender's 13-gamer during the 2005-06 campaign. Senior guard Kristin Drabyn has scored 10 or more points in 15 of the last 22 games. UMBC has had four players score in double figures in a game twice this season - Dec. 9 against Northern Iowa and March 1 against Vermont. Prior to the UNI game, UMBC had not achieved the feat since Jan. 7, 2007.
20/20: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy has posted eight 20-point performances this season, the most by a Retriever since Shalayna Johnson scored 20 or more points 12 times during the 2002-03 campaign. In addition, the Retrievers have recorded 14 20-point efforts as a team this season, surpassing last year's total of 13.
Colabella on the Rebound: In the last seven games, freshman forward Meghan Colabella has been a rebounding machine, averaging 6.0 rpg, including a career-high 10 at Hartford on Feb. 5. She has led the Retrievers in rebounding in four of those games. Colabella is also averaging 7.1 ppg during that time, but she has averaged 10.3 ppg in the last four games.
What Sophomore Slump?: While many second-year players experience the dreaded "sophomore slump," UMBC guard Carlee Cassidy has actually improved in every category this season. The most noticiable change is in scoring, as she has gone from 4.5 ppg as a rookie to 17.0 ppg this season, raising her career scoring average to 10.3 ppg. In addition, Cassidy has shot up UMBC's sophomore record books, as her 459 points this season rank second among the Retrievers' all-time second-year players.
Hatten Returns: Senior guard Morgan Hatten returned to the Retrievers on Feb. 9 against Maine, playing in her first game since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 25 to remove the torn part of her meniscus. She played nine minutes against the Black Bears in her first action since going down with the knee injury early in the Vermont game on Jan. 20. Expected to miss two to four weeks, Hatten sat out just four games. After averaging a league-best 35.5 minutes per game in the 16 game prior to the injury, Hatten has taken it slowly in her first six games since returning, playing just 19.5 mpg and averaging 1.8 ppg and 1.8 rpg. With both Hatten and junior guard Melissa Book sidelined, the Retrievers dressed just eight players on Jan. 22 at Albany, and only six players saw action, with four playing all 40 minutes in the 56-55 victory.
Oh, Baby: Expected to miss the entire season, senior center Amanda Robinson returned to the UMBC lineup on Jan. 30 at Boston U., just a six weeks after giving birth to her son, Jaden. Robinson could have sat out the whole season and returned for the 2008-09 campaign, but she decided to exhaust her eligibility this year because she plans to graduate in May. In her first nine games back, Robinson has averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg in 17.9 mpg, including a season-high 14 against Vermont on Saturday, when she was named UMBC's America East Player of the Game. She made her first start of the season on Feb. 5 at Hartford. Robinson was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 America East Tournament and the Retrievers' third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season.
Block Party: Senior center Amanda Robinson may have missed three-quarters of the season, but she still has an opportunity to make her mark in the UMBC record book. After recording four blocks this season, Robinson ranks fifth all-time at UMBC with 96 career rejections.
Sister Act: With senior center Amanda Robinson's return, the Retrievers finally have the "sister act" they expected last season, as she teams with younger sister Chrissy Robinson, a freshman center. The Robinsons are believed to be the third pair of sisters to play on the same basketball team at UMBC, joining Carol and Debbie Sybert (1979-80) and twins Karen and Sharon Keadle (1979-82). The siblings were both in the game at the same time for the first time against Vermont.
Helping Hand: All eight Retrievers who played at Boston University on Jan. 30 recorded at least one assist, the first time this season that every player who saw action tallied at least one helper. Senior guard Morgan Hatten is currently tied for 13th all-time at UMBC with 185 career assists. Freshman point guard Michele Brokans has proved this season that it is better to give than to receive, as she has unselfishly dished out 69 assists while shooting just 65 field goal attempts, and her assist total ranks eight among all-time UMBC freshmen. Brokans ranks eighth in the America East with 2.56 apg, while Hatten is 10th with 2.3 apg.
December to Remember: Though UMBC was just 2-4 in the month of December, at least one Retriever should have been sad to see it go. Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy averaged 20.0 ppg and shot at a 48.9 percent clip in six December games. She never scored less than 15 points and posted three 20-plus performances, including both games of the Terrapin Classic. Entering December, her scoring average was at its season low, 13.9 ppg, but she raised it nearly three full points during the month to 16.7 ppg, and the nation took note, as she earned honorable mention for the WBCA National Player of the Month award.
Tale of Two Halves: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy, the Retrievers' leading scorer, has a pattern this season of coming on strong in the second half. Through the first 18 games this season, Cassidy averaged just 6.1 points in the first 20 minutes but came to life in the second half with an average of 11.4 points. However, she bucked that trend on Jan. 30 at Boston U., as she scored 17 points in the first half, nearly reaching her season scoring average of 17.5 ppg, but then did not score at all in the second period. For the season, she is averaging 6.4 ppg in the first half and 10.6 points in the second.
Honor Roll: Sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy has been named America East Player of the Week three times this season, making her the first Retriever ever to win the award more than twice in one season. She and Hartford's Danielle Hood are the only players with three honors this season. Sharri Rohde (2005-06) and Matea Pender (2004-05) are the only other Retrievers to be named America East Player of the Week more than once in a season. Cassidy garnered the honor for Week 1 after averaging 18.0 ppg and shooting 43.5 perecent in two games. The award was 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. Cassidy then was honored again in Week 5 after averaging 19.0 ppg and shooting 46.5 percent from the floor, including 40.0 percent from 3-point range, in three games. Finally, Cassidy nabbed her third award for Week 8 after averaging 22.5 ppg and shooting 48.6 percent from the floor, including 42.1 percent from long distance, in the two games of the Terrapin Classic.
Playing Favorites: The Retrievers 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. In addition, the Retrievers 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 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 0-5 against those teams with losses to George Washington, Coppin State, James Madison, Maryland and Hartford.
Against the America East: UMBC joined the America East in 2003-04, and the Retrievers are 25-57 in five years of America East play after Saturday's loss to Vermont. All-time, UMBC is 27-57 against its current America East opponents, including games played against them before they were conference rivals, as well as games played in the America East Championships, which do not count as league games. The Retrievers are also 1-5 all-time against former America East member Northeastern, including 1-3 in conference play from 2004-05.
Hatten's Many Hats: Senior guard Morgan Hatten has proven 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 ranks in the top 15 in the conference in rebounding, assists, blocks, steals, minutes played and assist-to-turnover ratio.
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.
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. In addition, based on responses from sports information directors throughout the country, Frazier is one of just 10 Native American women playing Division I basketball.
Fresh Faces: Six newcomers join the Retrievers this season - five freshmen and one junior college transfer. The group makes up the largest recruiting class in head coach Phil Stern's tenure.
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.
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.
What a Pair: Junior guard Chantay Frazier and sophomore guard Carlee Cassidy combined to score 35 of UMBC's 38 second-half points on Feb. 13 at Stony Brook. The pair also made all 13 of UMBC's second-period field goals. Frazier scored a career-high 26 points in the game, with 24 coming in the second half, while 11 of Cassidy's 18 points came in the second stanza.
Hot Shot: The Retrievers shot a season-best 54.3 percent from the floor against Towson on Dec. 19, making 25 of 46 field goal attempts. The 25 field goals were one short of a season high, which was set against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24, while the 46 attempts were one more than the season low, which was set on Nov. 28 at NJIT. The .543 shooting percentage was the highest since Jan. 29, 2006, when the Retrievers shot 59.6 percent at Stony Brook. UMBC bested its season-high shooting percentage for the second straight game after shooting 44.4 percent against Northern Iowa on Dec. 9. In addition, the Retrievers' .467 3-point shooting percentage (7-for-15) against Towson was also a season high, besting the previous high of 44.4 percent against Northern Iowa, as well.
Lights Out: After coming off the bench in the previous 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. 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). After allowing Towson to shoot 59.3 percent in the first half on Dec. 19, UMBC limited the Tigers to just five field goals and 22.7 percent shooting in the second period. The Retrievers rank third in the America East in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 38.9 percent from the field.
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 6.1 rpg this season lead the Retrievers and are the eighth-most in the America East.
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 players from the title team.
Book Out for Season: UMBC junior guard and team co-captain Melissa Book will sit out the remainder of the 2007-08 season and will apply for a medical hardship waiver to recover a year of eligibility. Book suffered a concussion early in the season and his missed the Retrievers' last 10 games. Because of her previous history of severe concussions – she suffered four in high school – Book was advised by team physicians not to continue playing this season. A top reserve, Book averaged 6.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game off the bench through the first seven games of the season. She was shooting a team-best 48.0 percent (12-for-25) from the field and 55.0 percent (11-for-20) from 3-point range at the time of her injury. She led the America East in 3-point field goal percentage, and she ranked ninth in the league with 1.57 trifectas made per game. In addition, Book was nearly perfect from the free throw line at 88.9 percent (8-for-9). Book was named the America East Player of the Game on Nov. 16 against James Madison, when she scored a career-high 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting, with all four field goals coming form long distance.
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 select road contests will be broadcast live via UMBCRetrievers.com or WVIE 1370 AM (v1370.com).
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.
Aye-Aye, Captain: Seniors Kristin Drabyn and Morgan Hatten and junior Melissa Book are UMBC's 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.
