LAST TIME OUT
UMBC graduate student guard Craig Beaudion II's driving layup with 1.8 seconds remaining gave the Retrievers a hard-earned 78-76 victory over Central Connecticut State on Sunday. Retriever junior guard Matteo Picarelli tied the game twice in the final 2:04 of the game. He knocked down three free throws at that mark of the game and then buried his fifth trey of the game with 31 seconds remaining to knot the score at 76-all. Picarelli, who had just set his career high with 19 points in Friday's 71-63 win over Lafayette, re-set it with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. He led four Retrievers in double figures. Colton Lawrence scored 15 points and Jacob Boonyasith and Jarvis Doles added 13 apiece. UMBC (3-2) matched their season high with 11 treys, hitting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from long range. The Retrievers were also proficient from the floor (49.1 percent) and free throw line (15-of-18) and only committed four second half turnovers.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
UNCG is coming off a 56-53 loss to Towson last week and are 1-2 on the young season.The Spartans shot just 29 percent from the floor and committed 15 turnovers. Former Retriever Keondre Kennedy is leading UNCG in scoring (12.3 ppg.) and rebounding (9.0).
 
SERIES HISTORY         
The Retrievers are 1-8 all-time vs. UNCG, their former Big South rivals. UMBC has dropped five straight in the series. UNCG won in Baltimore last season, 62-51. Current Spartan Keondre Kennedy paced the Retrievers with 14 points. UMBC's lone win versus UNCG came in Greensboro during the 1994-95 season.
 
PICARELLI COMING INTO HIS OWN   
Junior guard Matteo Picarelli has been the biggest surprise for the Retrievers through the first five contests and is the second-leading scorer on the squad at 13.0 ppg. The Milan, Italy native went for 19 points in the victory against Lafayette on Friday and followed that up with a new career-high 21 points in the triumph over Central Connecticut State on Sunday. Picarelli is averaging 24.1 minutes per game this season after playing just 8.6 mpg. in 21-22.  He's already surpassed last season's scoring total of 63 points.  Picarelli is shooting 56 percent from 3-point range (15-of-27) this season and is 21-for-35 (.600) overall.
 
UP NEXT         
UMBC will travel to Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at the Capital One Center. The Retrievers dropped a 100-71 decision against the Hoyas last season at the Capital One Center. Kaiden Rice went 10-of-12 from 3-point territory and finished with a game-high 34 points for the Hoyas. L.J. Owens paced UMBC with 17 points.