Men's Basketball 11/20/2019 12:00:00 AM

UMBC Men's Basketball Heads to Montego Bay for Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic

Montego Bay, Jamaica-- UMBC men's basketball will look to bounce back after a 77-50 loss to LSU on Tuesday night, their first loss of the season. Junior forward Dimitrije Spasojevic (Vrsac, Serbia) led the charge with 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) chipped in 10 points in the loss. The Retrievers will play two games in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic, against Eastern Michigan on Friday and Nicholls State on Sunday night.

Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (4-1) vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-0) & Nicholls State Colonels (2-3)
Where: Montego Bay Convention Centre - Montego Bay, Jamaica
When: Friday, Nov. 22 - 2 p.m. & Sunday, Nov. 24 - 9 pm
How to Watch: Both games will air back in the US on CBS Sports Network
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, @UMBCAthletics, #RetrieverNation, #AEHoops

Scouting the Retrievers:

-The Retrievers are coming off a 77-50 loss to LSU Tuesday night in Baton Rouge. UMBC jumped out to an early 9-1 lead, but the Tigers rallied, taking the lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Dimitrije Spasojevic led the Retrievers with 14 points and six rebounds in their first loss of the season. L.J. Owens added 10 points for UMBC.

-Junior guard Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) leads the Retriever offense as one of five Retrievers in double figures with 14.0 ppg. He has dished out 25 assists (5.0 apg) and is shooting just under 50 percent from the floor. Owens, Spasojevic and Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) are also averaging over 10.0 ppg at 12.4, 11.8 and 10.8 respectively.

-UMBC averages 77.6 ppg as a team, holding opponents to just 57.8 ppg for a scoring margin of +19.8. The Retrievers have held opponents to just 48 combined assists on the year while shooting at a blistering 45.5 percent from the floor.

Scouting the Eagles:

-Eastern Michigan comes into the tournament at a perfect 4-0 on the year, most recently taking down North Texas on Saturday, 56-51. The Eagles will also play North Carolina A&T in the tournament on Sunday.

-Four Eagles are scoring in double figures early on, led by Ty Groce at 14.0 ppg. Yeikson Montero is averaging 12.3 ppg with Boubacar Toure leading the team with 10.0 rpg and 11.0 ppg. Chris James is the other Eagle in double figures at 10.8 ppg.

Scouting the Colonels:

-The Colonels are 2-3 on the year with wins over Pitt (75-70) and Paul Quinn College (81-66). Nicholls lost close games to Illinois (78-70 F/OT), LSU (75-65) and Rhode Island (70-65).

-Three different Colonels are averaging double digits, led by Dexter McClanahan at 16.6 ppg. Andre Jones and D'Angelo Hunter are also over 10.0 ppg at 12.4 and 11.0 respectively. Warith Alatishe leads the team on the boards grabbing 8.0 rpg.

All-Time Series:

-This will be the first-ever meeting between Eastern Michigan and UMBC.

-Nicholls State and UMBC will be meeting for the third time with each team grabbing a win in the series. Most recently, the Retrievers got the better of the Colonels 89-88 back in 2017-18.

About the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic:

-In its third year, the annual pre-season college basketball tournament will be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica from November 22-24, 2019, in one of the most iconic destinations in the Caribbean. With its picturesque beaches, modern resorts, and exciting nightlife, Montego Bay is one of the Caribbean's most popular tourist destinations – and a great setting for the 2019 Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic.

-In addition to UMBC, seven (7) other universities round out the host and travel teams participating, including Louisiana State University (LSU), University of North Texas, Utah State University, University of Rhode Island, North Carolina A&T State University, Nicholls State University, and another school TBA. Eight (8) tournament games will be held on the four (4) host campus sites and eight (8) games at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica.

Mr. 100:

-UMBC head coach Ryan Odom picked up his 100th career win and now sits at 100-58 over the course of his career now in his sixth season. Odom is 71-37 during his tenure in Baltimore and is currently the fourth winningest head coach in program history, just 14 games away from third.

Up Next:

-The Retrievers will have the week off before returning to Baltimore to host Drexel on Saturday, Nov. 30. Tip-off with the Dragons is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN 3 with John Feinstein, Gary Stein and Paul Mittermeier on the call.

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