Baltimore, Md.-- UMBC men's basketball advanced to the semifinals of the 2020 Hercules Tires America East Playoffs on Saturday with a 73-67 win against #5 New Hampshire. Senior guard K.J. Jackson (Missouri City, Texas) led the charge with 20 points and three steals, one of three Retrievers in double figures.

UMBC improves to 16-16, while the Wildcats fall to 15-15.

Jackson poured in 20 points on 6-12 shooting in the win. R.J. Eytle-Rock (London, England) and Brandon Horvath (West River, Md./Southern) also hit double figures with 15 and 13 respectively. 

Sean Sutherlin led the Wildcats with 19 points and 13 rebounds, one of three Wildcats in double digits. Marque Maultsby and Mark Carbone added 15 and 11 respectively. 

The Wildcats started the second half on a 6-0 run to erase a halftime deficit. The Retrievers would respond just minutes later. Daniel Akin (London, England) dove on the floor for a loose ball and threw it ahead to Jackson for the layin to tie it up at the under 16 timeout. 

From there, the Retrievers would hit six of their next seven to lead by as many as ten. However, the Wildcats made their push, cutting the deficit to two after holding UMBC scoreless for over three minutes. 

The Retrievers would rally, hitting their free throws late to advance with a 73-67 win on Saturday. 

UMBC ended the game shooting 51 percent from the floor and going 21-26 from the foul line. The Retrievers had 17 fast break points and 22 points off turnovers. 

UMBC came out of the gates holding the Wildcats without a point over a three-minute stretch to take an eight-point lead early on. UNH would respond with a pair of triples to cut the deficit to just two before Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) hit a layup to regain a four-point advantage at the under 12 timeout.

Both teams shot extremely well in the opening 20 minutes. There was a six possession stretch where both teams ended their possessions in a bucket. UMBC would get a turnaround jumper from L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) late in the half to take a 32-31 lead into the break. 

K.J. Jackson led all scorers with 11 points in the first half. Brandon Horvath added seven points as UMBC shot 50 percent from the floor. UNH stayed in it thanks to 38 percent shooting from three. 

UMBC will await their opponent for the semifinals after the conclusion of all quarterfinal games tonight. Stay tuned to @UMBC_MBB and @UMBCAthletics on Twitter and www.umbcretrievers.com for more info.