Red-Hot Men’s Basketball Takes on Hartford on Wednesday on Spread Respect Night

UMBC men’s basketball continues their home stand, looking to win their sixth straight game against defending America East Champion Hartford on Wednesday.

BALTIMORE– UMBC men's basketball continues their home stand, looking to win their sixth straight game against defending America East Champion Hartford on Wednesday. The Retrievers are coming off an 88-77 win against New Hampshire that saw them lead from the opening tip.

Hartford Game Info:
What: UMBC Retrievers (11-10, 6-4 AE) vs. Hartford Hawks (5-15, 3-5 AE)
Where: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
When: Wednesday, February 9 - 7:00 p.m.
How to Watch: Live stream on ESPN+ and ESPN app, live stats at UMBCRetrievers.com
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, @UMBCAthletics, #RetrieverNation, #AEHoops

Scouting the Retrievers:

UMBC comes into the contest riding a five-game win streak, most recently taking care of New Hampshire, 88-77 on Saturday night. The Retrievers were led by L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) who had a season-high 19 points to lead five in double figures.
Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) leads the UMBC offense averaging 14.4 ppg and is second on the team at 5.1 rpg. He is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the free throw line.
Owens and Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) are also in double figures at 10.6 and 10.3 ppg respectively. Rogers is dishing out 3.7 apg, good for third in the league.
Yaw Obeng-Mensah (Toronto, Ontario) leads the team on the glass, grabbing 5.3 rpg.

Scouting the Hawks:

Hartford checks in at 5-15, 3-5 AE on a three game losing streak after dropping an 85-75 contest at UMass Lowell on Monday. The Hawks are in the midst of a three-game in five day stretch.
Three different Hawks are in double figures, led by Austin Williams at 15.4 ppg. He is shooting over 50 percent from the floor and is dishing out 2.9 apg.
Moses Flowers and Hunter Marks are also in double figures at 14.1 ppg and 12.3 ppg respectively. Flowers leads the team with 6.7 rpg.

All-Time Series:

This will be the 41st meeting all-time with the previous 40 contests split 20-20. Last year the Retrievers and Hawks split the season series with both games played in Baltimore.
UMBC has had the advantage of late, winning eight of the 12 games.

Among the Best:

UMBC sits 21st nationally in team free throw percentage at 77.0, going 271-352 from the charity stripe this season.
The mark is good for first in the conference.

Milestone Watch:

L.J. Owens is approaching the 1,000 point mark, needing just 80 points to achieve the mark.
As a team, the Retrievers are on pace to have their best season from the foul line in program history. UMBC is currently at 77.0 percent from the charity stripe. The previous best was 75.5 percent in 1986-87.

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