UAlbany at UMBC | THURSDAY, JAN.5, 7:00 PM | "THE PEAKE" | TICKETS | WATCH | INTERNATIONAL FEED | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT - UMBC FALLS TO VERMONT IN AMERICA EAST OPENER
- Graduate student forward Tra'Von Fagan tied a season high with 13 points, but the Retrievers (9-6) were held to their lowest scoring output of the season and fell, 74-61, to the defending America East champion Vermont Catamounts (7-8) in the league opener for both squads.
- Junior guard Matteo Picarelli added 12 points for UMBC, hitting 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, while Colton Lawrence added 10 points. Fagan also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while graduate student guard Craig Beaudion II handed out a season-best nine assists.
- Graduate student forward Jarvis Doles eclipsed 700 career points with a bucket in the second half.
 
ABOUT UALBANY
- The Great Danes are just 2-6 over their last eight contests, including a 67-51 setback against New Hampshire in their conference opener last Saturday.
Gerald Drumgoole Jr. is averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game and Jonathan Beagle is adding 10.8 per game. Drumgoole leads the league with 2.7 treys per game.
- Beagle also leads the squad in rebounding at 6.4 per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
- UAlbany leads 28-14.
- The Retrievers have won four of the last five meetings but fell, 66-54, at "The Peake " last season.
- UMBC has won 7 of the last 10 meetings.
 
DOG BITES
- UMBC is 9-1 when they shoot 40 percent or higher
- The Retrievers are 7-0 when they hold opponents under 70 points.
- Fagan is averaging 11.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last two outings.
- Lawrence grabbed his 400^th career rebound against Vermont on Sunday.
 
BOONYASITH NAMED AE POW
- UMBC senior wing Jacob Jacob Boonyasith was named the America East Men's Basketball Player of the Week on December 5th. Boonyasith garnered his first America East honor after averaging 20.5 points in a pair of non-conference victories against Coppin State and Lehigh. Boonyasith shot 54 percent overall and was even better from behind the arc as he drilled 9-of-13 attempts (69 percent). In addition, he averaged 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
- Boonyasith scored a career-high 24 points and added a career-best eight assists in the 109-82 victory at "The Peake" last Wednesday. He made his first five treys and scored the final 10 points during a key 13-1 run that extended a modest first-half lead.
 - He followed that up with a team-high 17 points and four rebounds in the 88-62 win against Lehigh. Boonyasith scored 12 points in the opening half as the Retrievers led 48-21 at the break.
 
BROWN AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED
- Highly regarded freshman guard Dion Brown has made an instant impact over his first five career contests.
The Great Barrington, Massachusetts native grabbed his first America East honor after averaging 16.5 points in a pair of non-conference victories against Loyola (Md.) and William & Mary. Brown shot a sizzling 79 percent from the floor as he drilled a combined 15-of-19 attempts.
- Brown scored a game-high 21 points in just his second career appearance in UMBC's 72-69 triumph at Loyola (Md.) on December 13th. Brown converted 9-of-12 field goal attempts, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc. He also added four rebounds and a steal. The 21 points were the most by a UMBC freshman since Joe Sherburne produced 25 at Duquesne on 12/8/15.
- He followed that up with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the  78-62 victory against William & Mary at "The Peake" on December 18th and added 10 points and a season-high nine boards at Maryland last Thursday.
Brown missed the first 10 games of the season recovering from an injury.
 
BALTIMORE'S FINEST?
- UMBC went 3-0 against their Baltimore foes this season, defeating Coppin State, Morgan State and Loyola.
 
PICARELLI AMONG NATION'S SHOOTING LEADERS  
- Junior guard Matteo Picarelli has been one of the biggest surprises for the Retrievers through the first 15 contests as he's been one of the leading scorers on the squad at 11.3 ppg.  The Milan, Italy native went for 19 points in the victory against Lafayette and followed that up with a new career-high 21 points in the triumph over Central Connecticut State. 
- Picarelli is averaging 23.3 minutes per game this season after playing just 8.6 mpg. in 21-22.  His 2.6 3's per game is 2nd in the AE (82nd in NCAA) and he's first in accuracy (.443), which is good for 26th in the country. He's also 5^th in the league in free throw percentage (.796).
 
BOMBS AWAY
- The Retrievers swished 17 triples for the 5th time in program history at UNCG (11/22/22).  UMBC attempted 37 treys, just six shy of their all-time single-game mark.
- The squad then broke the record with 21 bombs in their blowout victory over Coppin State. The Retrievers attempted 40 shots from distance in the contest.
- UMBC ranks 22nd in the country with 9.7 3's made per game.  The Retrievers are 28th in attempts per game at 26.9 and are 92nd in 3-pt percentage (.360).
 
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
- UMBC ranks 37th in the country with a 1.37 assists/turnover ratio
- UMBC is 24th in the country in turnovers per game (10.8).
- Starting point guard Craig Beaudion II is 43rd in the country in the category (2.61). He's also 7th in the AE in steals per game (1.4).
- UMBC is 6-3 win they win the turnover battle.
 
BENCH MOB
- UMBC's bench ranks 31st in the country with 28.4 ppg.
- Matteo Picarelli leads the charge at 11.3 ppg.
 
THAT 70'S SHOW
-The Retrievers scored 70 or more points in 10 straight before the 64-point output at Maryland. It was the first time they had hit the mark in 10 straight games since the 2000-01 season.
 
AMERICA EAST LEADERS
- UMBC leads the conference in free throw percentage (.765), 3-pt field goals per game (9.7) and assists/turnover ratio (1.37).
 
UP NEXT
UMBC travels to Bryant on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.