Men’s Basketball Looks to Extend Win Streak Against Columbia on Wednesday

UMBC men’s basketball returns home, looking to extend their current win streak to three games against Columbia on Wednesday night.

BALTIMORE-- UMBC men's basketball returns home, looking to extend their current win streak to three games against Columbia on Wednesday night. The Retrievers have won four of their last five including a big 87-77 win at Pitt on Saturday. UMBC got behind early, but ripped off a 20-3 run late in the first half to take the lead for good.

Columbia Game Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (4-2) vs. Columbia Lions (2-5)
Where: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
When: Wednesday, December 1 - 7:00 P.M.
How to Watch: Live stream on ESPN+, live stats at UMBCRetrievers.com
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, @UMBCAthletics, #RetrieverNation, #AEHoops

Scouting the Retrievers:

UMBC is coming off a big 87-77 win at Pitt on Saturday afternoon. After being down early, the Retrievers ripped off a 20-3 run to take the lead for good, leading by as many as 15 in the contest.
It was the first regular season power five win for the Retrievers since UMBC defeated Nebraska in 2008, and is the second straight win against an ACC school.
Four Retrievers hit double figures led by Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) with 19 points going 7-10 from the field (4-4 from three). L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) added 18 including a pair of big three's late to seal the victory.
Kennedy leads the Retrievers averaging 15.3 ppg after putting up back-to-back performances of 21 and 19 points. He is shooting a blistering 58.3 percent from the floor and 52.2 percent from three (12-23).
Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) is the only other Retriever in double figures at 12.5 ppg. Jacob Boonyasith (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Yaw Obeng-Mensah (Toronto, Ontario) are leading the team averaging 4.8 rpg.

Scouting the Lions:

Columbia enters the game at 2-5, having lost their last three games, most recently falling to Lafayette 73-50 on Monday. The Lions are 2-2 at home compared to 0-3 on the road in 2021-22.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa leads the team averaging 15.4 ppg, averaging just under 35 minutes per game. He is also dishing out 5.2 assists per game.
LIam Murphy and Ike Nweke are also in double figures at 12.6 and 11.0 ppg respectively. Patrick Harding leads the team on the glass, pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game.

All-Time Series:

This will be just the second all-time meeting between the two schools with UMBC winning the only other matchup, 66-52 back in 2008 in New York.

Best in the Nation:

The Retrievers are off to a fast start, and are among the best in the country in several categories. UMBC leads the country in free throw percentage at 85.4 percent as a team.
Ray Salnave (Elmont, N.Y.) is one of six DI players who have not missed a free throw this year, having attempted at least 10, going 15-15 from the charity stripe.
Darnell Rogers is not far behind him in 16th with a 95 percentage.

Milestone Watch:

Several Retrievers are approaching career milestones in 2021-22. L.J. Owens is approaching the 1,000 point mark, needing just 247 points to achieve the mark. He is also just 11 games away from 100 career games played.
Darnell Rogers needs 113 points to reach 500 career points.
Newcomer Ray Salnave needs just 184 points to reach 1,500 career points after scoring 1,266 during his time at Monmouth and DePaul.

Up Next:

The Retrievers will hit the road for the next three contests, starting with a Sunday matinee at Delaware on December 5.
Tip-off with the Blue Hens is set for 2 p.m. on FloSports.

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