BALTIMORE– UMBC men's basketball will welcome the fourth seeded and defending America East Champion Hawks to The Peake on Wednesday night for a spot in the #AEPlayoffs Championship. UMBC is coming off a thrilling 93-85 overtime win against UMass Lowell in the quarterfinals.

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 Semifinals Game Info:
What: #2 UMBC Retrievers (17-13) vs. #4 Hartford Hawks (12-19)
Where: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
When: Wednesday, March 9 - 7:00 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 comes into the semifinal matchup after needing overtime to knock off the seven seed UMass Lowell in the conference quarterfinals, 93-85. It was the fourth time in five games that the Retrievers have hit 90-plus points. 
• Keondre Kennedy (Atlanta, Ga.) leads the Retrievers averaging 15.2 points per game while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor. 
• Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Indian Land (SC)/New Mexico JC) and L.J. Owens (Annapolis, Md./Severn School/William & Mary) are also in double figures at 11.8 and 11.5 ppg respectively. Rogers leads the league in free throw percentage (90.5) while Owens leads the conference in three point percentage (43.0).
• Yaw Obeng-Mensah (Toronto, Ontario) leads the Retrievers on the glass averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.

Scouting the Hawks:

• Hartford rolls into Baltimore at 12-19 after grinding out a 61-49 win against UAlbany in the quarterfinals. The Hawks led 26-13 at the half, and held the Great Danes to just 26 percent shooting in the win. 
• Three Hawks are averaging double figures, led by Austin Williams at 16.3 ppg. Williams also leads the team from the field, shooting over 50 percent. 
• Moses Flowers and David Schriver are also in double figures at 14.4 and 10.8 ppg respectively. Flowers leads the team pulling down 6.4 boards per game.

All-Time Series:

• This will be the 43rd all-time meeting between the Hawks and Retrievers with UMBC leading the all-time series 22-20, including a pair of wins earlier this year.
• Most recently, UMBC used a big second half to knock off the Hawks in West Hartford 92-85 just two weeks ago.
• In the #AEPlayoffs, the two schools have had their share of battles. This will be the third time the two meet in the semifinals with the last matchup going 2OT in a UMBC win. 

UMBC in the #AEPlayoffs:

• The Retrievers are 16-16 all-time in the #AEPlayoffs and have the third most titles of current members behind Vermont (7) and UAlbany (5). UMBC has won seven of their last ten 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 7th nationally in team free throw percentage at 79.1 going 420-531 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 79.1 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 Championship game on Saturday, March 12 against the winner of No. 1 Vermont and No. 6 Binghamton.
• Tip-off for the title game is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN2 with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.