After playing a shortened eight game schedule in 2020-2021, coach Johnetta Hayes begins her third season at the helm of the program with a revamped roster.

Returners

Returning are a pair of former America East All-Conference Third Team members and last season's top two scorers, Janee'a Summers (Bound Brook, N.J.) and Onome-Juliet Esadah (Warri, Delta State, Nigeria). All-Rookie Team honoree Alexia Nelson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and grad student Jasmine Braswell (Ashburn, Va.) also return to the Hilltop. 

New Faces

The Retrievers bring in eight new players, including six transfers. Joining UMBC as graduate student transfers are Danae Marquez (Fresno, Calif.) and Jatarrikah Settle (Frederick, Md.). 

Marquez comes to the Retrievers after a solid career at San Jose State which saw her graduate as No.4 on the program's all-time assist list with 344. For her career, she averaged 6.85 points, 3.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.43 steals per game. She also shot 35% from behind the arc in each of her final two seasons, and was named as a 2018 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete while also earning a spot on the 2018 Academic All-Mountain West Team.

Settle makes her way to the Hilltop after four years at local foe Mount St. Mary's where she made 64 starts and appeared in 93 games. She averaged 7.55 points and 5,12 rebounds per game, she also recorded seven double-doubles and added 197 assists in her Mount career. Settle was also named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll in 2017-2018.

Transfers Danielle Deoul (Milton, Del.), Keelah Dixon (Boston, Mass.), Loan-Anh Johnson (Wichita, Ks.) and Haile McDonald (Winchester, Va.) all join the black and gold with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Deoul spent the past three seasons at High Point after playing in four games as a freshman at George Mason. Last year she averaged 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Panthers.

Dixon comes from Colgate where she was a team captain and averaged 10.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game before their season was cut short after just nine games. Dixon also brings numerous academic accolades: 2020-21 Colgate University Pauli Murray Award for Excellence in African American Studies, 2019-20 Colgate University George W. Cobb Fellows Awards (President), 2019-20 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and 2019-20 Colgate Raider Academic Honor Roll.

Johnson was at Nicholls State where she saw her most production as a sophomore in 2019-20 when she started 26 of 29 games played and was third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game (317). That season she reached double figures in 15 games, including four 20-point outings, and scored a career-high 23 points in the win at Central Arkansas on 7-of-10 shooting. That season she was also named to the Southland All-Academic Second Team. 
McDonald spent the previous three seasons at Appalachian State where she appeared in 44 games. After an injury shortened her first season, she showed much improvement in her redshirt freshman season, where she appeared in 23 games and averaged 4.26 points and 2.39 points per game. 

UMBC has a pair of freshmen guards from New York on the roster, with Laycee Drake (Hancock, N.Y.) and Antonia May (Amsterdam, N.Y.) making their way to campus. Drake recorded 34 points, 17 rebounds, 8 steals, 4 assists in the championship game to lead Hancock to its first-ever Conference championship (at Binghamton University in February 2020), while May set a league record with seven three-pointers in a 37-point performance against Fort Plain in 2021.

The season will get underway on Tuesday, November 9 when the Retrievers host Gettysburg at 7 p.m. at  Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. Fans can watch all home and America East contests this season on ESPN3.  


Non-Conference Opponents

Gettysburg 

Finished with a record of 22-6 during the 2019-2020 season

Colgate 

• Finished the 2020-2021 season with a record of 1-8 
• Junior Alexa Brodie returners to the Raiders as their leading scorer, averaging 13 points a game
• Ganiyat Adeduntan is heading into her first season as the head coach for Colgate
• Colgate returns 13 players from last year

Loyola Maryland

• Finished the 2020-2021 season with a record of 0-13 
• Danielle O'Banion will be heading into her 1st season as the head coach
• Her past teams have combined for 10 postseason appearances, including 5 NCAA tournaments, two Sweet Sixteen's, and one NCAA Final Four appearance
• The Greyhounds return 11 players from the previous season
• Emily McAteer returns as the Greyhounds leading scorer (9.2 points) and was also a Patriot League All- Rookie Team in 2020

Richmond

• Finished the 2020-2021 with a record of 13-9
• The Spiders return 14 players from the previous season 
• Richmond returns their top three scorers Kate Klimkiewicz (14.3 PPG), Addie Budnik (11.4 PPG), and Claire Holt (7.2 PPG)
• Head Coach Aaron Roussell is heading into his third season as the head coach of the Spiders

Wake Forest 

• Finished the 2020-2021 season with a record of 12-13
• The Demon Deacons had a ranked win vs #24 Missouri State on 11/29/2020
• Lost to #1 Louisville 65-63 in an ACC matchup on 1/24/2021
• Jewel Spear returns as Wake's leading scorer (10.9 PPG)
• Spear was named ACC All- Freshman Team, ACC All- Academic Team, ACC All-Tournament team, and was selected to the 2021 USA Basketball World Championship Team 
• Jen Hoover became the All-time wins leader at Wake Forest during the 2020-2021 season 
• Graduated their top two scorers 

American 

• Finished with a 7-4 record during the 2020-2021 season 
• The Eagles return 11 players from the previous season
• Jade Edwards (17.4 PPG), Emily Fisher (11.6 PPG), and Taylor Brown (10.3 PPG) all return as they were the top 3 scorers for the Eagles 
• Head Coach Megan Gebbia is entering her 9th season at the helm at AU. She enters this season with an overall record of 137-97 (.585). 
• Before her time as the head coach at American she was an assistant coach at UMBC from 1996-2002

St. Francis Brooklyn

• Finished with a 4-10 record during the 2020-2021 shortened season
• The Terriers return seven players from the previous season
• The Terriers return their top three scorers from the 2020-21 season. Ally Lassen (14.0 PPG), Fruzsina Horvath (12.6 PPG), and Nevena Dimitrijevic (10.4 PPG)
• Fruzsina Horvath was named NEC Rookie of the Year and NEC All-Rookie team

Lafayette 

• Finished with a 5-8 record during the 2020-2021 season 
• Lafayette returns eight players from the previous season
• The Leopards graduated their top two leading scorers
• Natalie Kucowski was selected with the 35th pick in the 2021 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm

Howard 

• Finished with a record of 15-4 during the shortened 2020-2021 season
• Won MEAC Regular Season title and lost to North Carolina A&T in MEAC Championship, 59-57
• The Lady Bison return 12 players from the previous season 
• Iyanna Warren (11.9 PPG) and Anzhane Hutton (11.4 PPG) return as the leading scorers
• Anzhane Hutton took home MEAC Rookie of the Year honors and Head Coach Ty Grace was named Coach of the Year

Syracuse 

• Finished with a 15-9 overall record during the 2020-2021 season 
• The Orange return 10 players from the previous year
• Syracuse graduated their top three leading scorers from the previous year 
• Recieved an at-large bid to NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round
• Vonn Read was named acting Head Coach in August 2021

Mount St. Mary's

• Finished with a 17-7 record during the 2020-2021 season
• Won NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championship, advanced to NCAA Tournament
• The Mount returns nine players from the previous season 
• Kendall Bresee (13.7 PPG) and Michaela Harrison (12.4 PPG) return as the leading scorers for The Mount 
• Antoine White enters his first year as the Head Coach 

All-Time Records Against Opponents

Gettysburg 
UMBC leads Gettysburg 6-2 
UMBC is 5-1 at home against Gettysburg

Colgate
Colgate leads the series 2-0 
First game against Colgate since 1990

Loyola Maryland
Loyola leads the series 24-16
UMBC is 2-1 in last three games against Loyola dating back to 2014
Haven't played Loyola since 2016 

Richmond
Richmond leads the series 5-1
Haven't played since 2007 

Wake Forest
Wake Forest leads the series 3-0
Haven't played since 1998

American
American leads the series 13-6 
UMBC has lost the last three matchups dating back to 2016

St. Francis Brooklyn
UMBC leads the all time series 8-1 
Won the last six matchups 

Lafayette
UMBC leads the all time series 3-0

Howard
Howard leads the series 2-0 

Syracuse
Syracuse leads the series 1-0 

Mount St. Mary's 
Mount leads the series 30-9 

Binghamton
BU leads the series 25-12

New Hampshire 
UNH leads the series 19-16 

Stony Brook
SBU leads the series 23-15

UMass Lowell
UMBC leads the series 8-7

NJIT
Series is tied at 1-1

Vermont
Series is tied at 18-18

UAlbany 
UAlbany leads the series 23-13

Maine
Maine leads the series 22-13

Hartford
Hartford leads the series 29-10