VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

BALTIMORE-- UMBC men's basketball picked up a 66-55 win against Vermont on Friday to earn the one seed in the #AEPlayoffs, also earning the Co-Regular Season Title for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Junior R.J. Eytle-Rock (London, England) led four in double figures with 15 points, adding seven rebounds. 

UMBC finishes the regular season at 14-5, 10-4 AE while the Catamounts snap an eight game win streak to fall to 10-4, 10-4 AE. 

Eytle-Rock led a quartet of Retrievers with 15 points, going 8-8 from the foul line with seven rebounds. Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) and Daniel Akin (London, England) added 14 points each with Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) adding 10. 

Ryan Davis led the Catamounts with 15 points with Justin Mazzulla adding 12 in the loss. 

UMBC overcame a down shooting night by holding the Catamounts to just 35 percent from the floor and forcing 12 turnovers. The Retrievers outrebounded the Catamounts 37-33 and got 30 bench points in the win. 

Vermont once again came out of the gates on fire, connecting on their first five shots to take an early lead. The Retrievers never wavered. They kept it close early, trailing 12-10 at the under 16 timeout. That led to a 7-0 run for UMBC over a 3:20 span to give them their first lead off a Daniel Akin layup. 

Keondre Kennedy then began to heat up. He drilled a three to give UMBC a seven point lead, part of a 16-2 run that held Vermont scoreless over a six minute span. The Retrievers continued their strong half with a 9-0 run over the last 4:26 to take a 32-20 lead at the break. 

Kennedy led all scorers with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, as all eight Retrievers who hit the floor scored in the half. UMBC held Vermont to 33 percent shooting in the first half and forced 10 turnovers. 

UMBC would start off cold in the second half, but kept their double digit lead thanks to strong defense at the under 16 timeout. Daniel Akin ended a nearly five minute drought after Vermont started the half on an 8-0 run. The Catamounts would cut it to six, but that would be as close as they got. 

Eytle-Rock went on a mini 5-0 run of his own to push the lead back to 13. UMBC would go on another drought, but Eytle-Rock came through once again to keep the lead at 12. The Retrievers would hit their free throws late, defeating the Catamounts 66-55 and earning a share of the regular season title and the one seed in the upcoming tournament.  

UMBC will now await their opponent in the #AEPlayoffs Semifinals on Saturday, March 6. Tip-off will be on either ESPN3 or ESPN+ at 2 p.m. from the UMBC Event Center.