BALTIMORE– UMBC men's basketball opens the 2022 America East Championships at home against the seven seed UMass Lowell on Sunday afternoon. The Retrievers earned the two seed in the tournament after ending the season winning four of five. Most recently the Retrievers knocked off Binghamton, 78-68 on Tuesday night.

UPDATED MASK POLICY:

• Effective March 4, UMBC is no longer requiring masks at indoor facilities on campus, including Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. 
• Individuals who have recently been exposed to or recovered from COVID-19 should continue to mask for at least 10 days.

America East Quarterfinals Game Info:
What: #2 UMBC Retrievers (16-13) vs. #7 UMass Lowell River Hawks (15-15)
Where: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
When: Sunday, March 6 - 1:00 p.m.
How to Watch: Live stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, live stats at UMBCRetrievers.com
Social Media: @UMBC_MBB, @UMBCAthletics, @AEHoopsNews, #RetrieverNation, #AEPlayoffs, #AEHoops

Scouting the Retrievers:

• UMBC enters the tournament at 16-13, winner of their last three including a 78-68 win against Binghamton in the season finale to clinch the two seed. Jacob Boonyasith (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led the way, tying a career-high with 20 points. 
• Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) leads the team averaging 15.1 ppg earning First Team All-Conference honors on Friday. He is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from three. 
• L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) and Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) are averaging 11.5 and 11.3 ppg respectively after earning Third Team All-Conference honors. Owens led the America East shooting 43.1 percent from three.
• Yaw Obeng-Mensah (Toronto, Ontario) leads the team on the glass averaging 5.6 rpg.

Scouting the River Hawks:

• The River Hawks come in as the seven seed in the #AEPlayoffs after defeating Hartford 83-73 on Thursday to close out the regular season. 
• Allin Blunt leads a trio of River Hawks in double figures at 10.9 ppg. He is shooting 43.3 percent from the floor.
• Max Brooks is averaging 10.7 ppg while grabbing a team-best 6.4 rpg. He is shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and averaging 2.4 blocks per game. Ayinde Hikim is also in double figures at 10.6 ppg.

All-Time Series:

• This will be the 19th all-time meeting between the two, and the third this year with the River Hawks leading the series 11-7. UMass Lowell won the two matchups earlier this season.
• Sunday will be the third time in the last five years the two will meet in the #AEPlayoffs. Last year the River Hawks upset the one seeded Retrievers 79-77 in the semifinals. UMBC won the first tournament matchup 89-77 in 2018 en route to a conference title.

UMBC in the #AEPlayoffs:

• The Retrievers are 15-16 all-time in the #AEPlayoffs and have the third most titles of current members behind Vermont (7) and UAlbany (5). UMBC has won six of their last nine tournament games, with the losses coming in the 2019 title game and the 2020 and 2021 semifinals. Prior to the 2018 tournament, UMBC was 9-13 in the tournament dating back to 2004. 

Among the Best:

• UMBC sits 11th nationally in team free throw percentage at 78.6 going 394-501 from the charity stripe this season.
• The mark is good for first in the conference.

Milestone Watch:

• As a team, the Retrievers are on pace to have their best season from the foul line in program history. UMBC is currently at 78.6 percent from the charity stripe. The previous best was 75.5 percent in 1986-87.

Up Next:

• The winner will go on to the America East Semifinals on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. The tournament will reseed with the highest remaining seed taking on the lowest remaining seed, and the other two seed battling for a spot in the championship.