LIVE STATS | VIDEO (NEC FRONT ROW) | GAME NOTES
Baltimore, Md.-- UMBC men's basketball returns to action looking to bounce back from a season-opening loss to Georgetown against Saint Francis University on Saturday afternoon. Senior Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) led the charge with 13 points and 10 rebounds, one of three Retrievers in double figures. UMBC trailed by as many as 18 in the second half, whittling the lead to as little as six before falling 70-62 to the Hoyas.
Saint Francis Game Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (0-1) at Saint Francis Red Flash (1-0)
Where: DeGol Arena - Loretto, Pa.
When: Saturday, November 28 - 3:00 p.m.
How to Watch: Live stream on NEC Front Row, live stats at SFUAthletics.com
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, @UMBCAthletics, #RetrieverNation, #AEHoops
Scouting the Retrievers:
-UMBC heads into the weekend tilt at 0-1, dropping their season opener 70-62 at Georgetown on Wednesday. The Retrievers were down by as many as 18 in the second half, but battled to within six late but could not complete the comeback. Senior Brandon Horvath led three in double figures with 13 points adding 10 rebounds for the double-double.
-Horvath led the way with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) added 13 and two assists with R.J. Eytle-Rock (London, England) adding 11 and four steals. Daniel Akin (London, England) had a solid day with eight points and seven rebounds in just 25 minutes of play.
-The Retrievers were outrebounded 58-38 but forced 20 turnovers and turned them into 24 points to keep it close.
Scouting the Red Flash:
-Saint Francis comes into the contest at 1-0 after a big 80-70 win on the road against Pitt on Wednesday night. The Red Flash defeated the Panthers for the first time in program history after dropping the first 29 games against Pitt. The Red Flash rode a 13 point first-half lead through the second half for the win.
-Ramiir Dixon-Conover led the charge with 21 points, five assists, and four steals going 9-11 from the line. Myles Thompson (13 pts), Maxwell Land (12 pts) and Mark Flagg (11 pts) also hit double figures with Thompson adding a team-high eight rebounds.
-Saint Francis forced 23 turnovers and turned them into 27 points, holding the Panthers to 39.7 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three.
All-Time Series:
-This will be the 18th all-time meeting between the two and the second in as many years. The Retrievers lead the series 10-7 with all but two of the previous meeting coming when UMBC was a member of the Northeast Conference. However, the Retrievers are just 2-5 against the Red Flash on the road.
-Last year, Saint Francis defeated the Retrievers 63-60 in Baltimore. The game ended in a frantic final minute of play. With the Red Flash leading by four with 52 seconds left, UMBC hit a pair of free throws before SFU went 1-2 from the line for a three-point lead with 23 seconds left. It would remain a three-point game with 10 seconds left and UMBC with the ball. The Retrievers had two chances at the tie, including an open look from L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary), but his attempt rimmed out as SFU held on for the win.
Leader of the Pack:
-Head coach Ryan Odom is back for his fifth season at the helm of the Retrievers. Odom led the Dawgs to their third-straight America East Semifinal appearance, finishing fourth in the league at 8-8. He will be looking for his fourth 20-win season in five years and is the fourth winningest coach in program history. He is just four games behind Randy Monroe for third.
Welcome to Charm City:
-This year, seven newcomers will don the black and gold joining eight returning players from a team that saw two Retrievers leave due to graduation.
-Szymon Wojcik (Wroclaw, Poland/Warsaw Adult Secondary School/NW Florida State College) and Rico Quinton (Dyersburg, Tenn./Dyer County/Columbia State CC) come to Baltimore from junior colleges. Wojcik spent a year at Missouri State before playing at Northwest Florida State College last season. Quinton reunites with former teammate Dimitrije Spasojevic (Vrsac, Serbia), who were teammates at East Carolina two seasons ago.
-The Retrievers also add Jacob Boonyasith (Grand Rapids, Mich./Jenison/American) who spent the past two seasons playing against the Retrievers at American University. Boonyasith averaged 5.9 ppg and shot 37 percent from three for the Eagles in 53 career games.
-First-year players Thomas Reid (Toronto, Ontario/Oak Hill Academy (Va.), Brendan Davis (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck), and Matteo Picarelli (Milan, Italy/Inter-Community School of Zurich) will join the team, as well as Sam Grace (Baltimore, Md./Boys' Latin), the younger brother of former Retriever Ben Grace. Grace spent last season on Towson University's football team.
#AEHoops Newcomers:
-This year, the America East will add a new school into the mix with NJIT joining the league from the ASUN. The Retrievers will head to Newark, N.J. to take on the Highlanders in the penultimate conference weekend in February.
Up Next:
-The Retrievers will make their home debut on Wednesday, Dec. 2 when they take on Delaware at 7 p.m. No fans will be allowed to attend, but the game can be streamed on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app.
