BALTIMORE – The UMBC women's basketball team clinched their first-ever America East Conference Quarterfinal home game after defeating the New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday, 90-43, at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Senior Day. UMBC improved to 13-13 overall and 10-5 in the league.

"Today was exciting to see all of our players touch the court on Senior Day," stated head coach Johnetta Hayes. "Our hustle and heart was there for 40 minutes and I definitely think that this was our most impressive performance of the season."
 
The Retrievers jumped out to a 29-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter and were never challenged for the remainder of the contest. UMBC swished a season-high 15 three-point field goals as they shot an impressive 55.6 percent from behind the arc. The Retrievers connected on 33-of-66 overall field goals for an even 50 percent clip.
 
Graduate student guard KK White (7 rebounds) led four Retrievers in double-figures with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while graduate student guard Keelah Dixon (4-of-7 treys) contributed 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
 
Guard Adara Groman paced UNH (7-19, 2-12 AE) with 18 points and six rebounds.

UMBC will begin their drive for the America East Championship on Wednesday, March 1 at "The Peake" at a time to be determined. "It's a great time to be part of UMBC Athletics and to make history," Hayes added. "This is a part of our cultural change and is something that we want to accomplish on a yearly basis. Hopefully this is just a stepping stone and our returning players will want to do this again in the years to come."

UMBC outrebounded the Wildcats by a 46-25 margin and forced 19 turnovers.

The Retrievers also distributed a season-high 19 assists and added nine steals.

How It Happened
- UMBC led 16-2 midway through the first quarter as the Retrievers hit five of their first eight field goal attempts.
- UNH was within 13 points at 16-3 but UMBC rattled off the next 13 points to take a 29-3 lead after a fast-break layup by White with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
- The Retrievers led by as many as 24 points in the second quarter before settling for a 43-22 halftime advantage.
- UNH was able to get as close as 19 points as the Wildcats scored the first bucket of the second half but were unable to get any closer.
- The Retrievers outscored the visitors by a 30-10 margin in the final quarter to blow the game open.

Up Next
- UMBC travels to UMass Lowell on Wednesday evening