Men's Basketball Set to Host UMass Lowell on Saturday Afternoon

Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. tied his career-high with 28 points. However, the UMBC men's basketball team was edged by America East Conference leader Bryant, 92-86, Thursday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
Banks Jr. went 10-for-21 overall from the floor, splashed 6-of-15 trey attempts, and converted 2-of-3 free throws. Senior forward Marlon Short recorded season-bests in points (19) and rebounds (8), while senior guard Bryce Johnson (18 points) and graduate student forward Josh Odunowo (13 points, season-high six assists) were also in double-figures.
Fifth year Quinton Mincey recorded a team-high 18 points, as the UMass Lowell fell to the NJIT Highlanders (5-17, 2-5 AE), 83-62, on Thursday night. Joining Mincey with double-digit scoring were freshman Martin Somerville, who totaled 15 points and seven rebounds, and fifth year Max Brooks who added 11 points alongside five rebounds and three blocks.
Johnson is 3rd in the America East in scoring (18.0 ppg.), while teammate Marcus Banks Jr. is 12th (14.4 ppg.). Johnson is now 5th in the league with a .527 field goal rate. Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo is fourth in the AE in field goal percentage (.556).
The Retrievers have recorded six of the top 17 scoring performances in the America East this season. They are tied for second in the league in scoring (82.2 ppg.) and are 26th in the country.

SERIES HISTORY

UML holds a 16-8 advantage in the series.
The River Hawks have won five straight contests, including a 94-89 OT win in last year's AE quarterfinals.
UMBC's last victory was a 93-85 OT win at the Peake on 3/6/2022.
The Retrievers are 5-8 all-time in Baltimore versus UML

LAST TIME OUT: RETRIEVERS GIVE FIRST-PLACE BRYANT ALL THEY COULD HANDLE

BALTIMORE- Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. tied his career-high with 28 points. However, the UMBC men's basketball team was edged by America East Conference leader Bryant, 92-86, Thursday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
Banks Jr. went 10-for-21 overall from the floor, splashed 6-of-15 trey attempts, and converted 2-of-3 free throws. Senior forward Marlon Short recorded season-bests in points (19) and rebounds (8), while senior guard Bryce Johnson (18 points) and graduate student forward Josh Odunowo (13 points, season-high six assists) were also in double-figures.
UMBC (11-11, 3-4 AE) trailed 47-40 at halftime but closed to within just two points after junior forward Louie Jordan's triple with 18:21 remaining in the contest.
Bryant (13-9, 7-0 AE) responded with a 10-2 run to grab a 59-49 advantage at the 16:13 mark.
The hosts fought right back and took their first lead of the second stanza at 65-64 after an Odunowo layup with 11:47 remaining. Banks Jr. followed with a trifecta to spot the Dawgs a 68-64 advantage, capping a 19-5 burst.
The game would feature seven more lead changes, and neither team led by more than two points until Pinzon scored five straight to spot the visitors an 85-81 advantage with 3:10 left.
The Retrievers inched within 86-85 after Short converted a pair from the line with 1:55 remaining, but Bryant scored inside buckets on back-to-back possessions to build a 90-85 lead with fifty-one ticks left.
UMBC misfired on their final five field goal attempts and could only manage a free throw down the stretch.
The Retrievers shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) overall, while Bryant made 37-of-76 attempts (48.7 percent).
Connor Withers (12 rebounds, 40 minutes) and Rafael Pinzon scored 18 points to pace the Bulldogs. Earl Timberlake added a double-double of 16 points and 12 boards in 40 minutes of action.

IT'S BRYCE'S WORLD

Johnson is averaging 22.2 ppg. over his last ten contests and is 69-of-122 (58 percent) from the floor over the span. In addition, he's knocked down 55-of-67 free throws (82 percent). He's now 3rd in the league in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and ranks 72nd in the nation.
He joined the 1,000-point club at UAlbany late in the second half.
Johnson has reached 20+ points on nine different occasions, including seven of his last ten games.
The nine 20-pt games are second in the league.
He's also drawing a team-high 4.3 fouls per game.
Johnson's nine drawn fouls at American was a career-high and he followed that up with eight at Binghamton.
Johnson ranks 71st in the country with 120 free throw attempts.

MONEY IN THE BANKS

The senior guard joined the 1,000-point club in the second half of the win at UAlbany.
Banks Jr. was named the America East Player of the Week (12/31/24) after his performance in UMBC's OT win at American.
Banks Jr. has already made 5+ treys in six contests this season and is fourth in the country in total makes. His 3.0 threes per game ranks first in the America East and is 34th in the NCAA. His 40 percent clip from behind the arc is 4th in the league and slots 64th in the country.
Overall, the sharpshooter is 11th on the circuit, scoring at 14.4 ppg. He's also one of the top guards in the conference in rebounding (4.4 pg.) and is 24th overall.

ACE IN THE HOLE

SO guard Ace Valentine has reached double-figures in scoring six times since moving back into the starting lineup against Howard (span of 14 games)
He's shooting 54 percent overall (56-for-104) during the stretch.
The point guard scored the go-ahead bucket in UMBC's 2OT win at American on a driving layup.
Valentine is 3rd in the league with 3.6 assists per game and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.1).

BOMBS AWAY

UMBC leads the AE with 8.8 3s made per game this season, which ranks 88th in the country.
The Retrievers 17 makes against Valley Forge were an America East single-game high.
The Retrievers are second in the league in 3-pt field goal percentage (.384) and are 22nd in the nation.
UMBC has reached double-figures in treys 10 different times.
Marcus Banks Jr. (2.9 pg.) and Louie Jordan (2.0 pg.) rank first and 11th respectively in treys per game. Johnson is now 14th (1.7 pg.)
Banks Jr. is 4th (.403) in the league in percentage.

SHARING IS CARING

UMBC dished an America East high 31 assists in the win versus Valley Forge. It was their highest output since they handed out 29 vs. Coppin St. on 11/30/2022.
It was also the most in the conference since Maine and Bryant recorded 32 during the 2022-23 season.
The Retrievers are 2nd the AE in the category at 15.2 pg. and are 89th in the NCAA.
Ace Valentine is 3rd in the league with 3.6 helpers per game and is 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (2.1).

KINGS OF BALTIMORE

The Retrievers won the Charm City Classic by virtue of their victories against Morgan State and Towson. UMBC, who had not defeated Towson since 2012, broke an eight-game losing skid against their Beltway rivals The Retrievers also knocked off Coppin State earlier this season.

A PROGRAM ON THR RISE

UMBC is enjoying their best stretch in program history as the Retrievers have gone a combined 149-114 (.562) over the past nine seasons. UMBC enjoyed three straight 20+ win seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19. Their 25 victories in 2017-18 was a program-high.
UMBC became the first #16 seed to knock off a #1 seed when the Retrievers shocked Virginia, 74-54, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (formerly the UMBC Event Center) officially opened on Feb. 3, 2018, as the UMBC men's basketball team hosted the Vermont Catamounts before a capacity crowd of 4,753. Both the men's and women's basketball teams played their February and March games in the new facility, which included three post-season victories.
The on-campus facility can accommodate nearly 6,000 patrons for commencements, concerts, featured speakers, and other events. It includes spectator facilities, such as concessions, catering, hospitality, restrooms, security and guest services.

COACH FERRY

Jim Ferry is in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach and his third at UMBC.
Ferry led the Retrievers to consecutive 18-14 records as well as an appearance in the America East Finals in 2021-22.
Prior to his arrival in Baltimore, Ferry served in 2020-21 as the interim head coach at Penn State. He led the Nittany Lions to an 11-14 overall mark and a
7-12 Big Ten record that included wins over NCAA Tournament
teams No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 15 Virginia Tech , Rutgers, and Maryland (twice).
Ferry spent 10 seasons as head coach at LIU Brooklyn, guiding the program to unprecedented levels of success. He led the Blackbirds to the Northeast Conference regular-season titles and tournament championships in 2011 and 2012, including their first NCAA Championship appearance in 14 years.

AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL
Rank   Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1          Vermont (8)                     64
2          UMass Lowell (1)            55
3          Bryant                             52
4          Maine                              39
5          UMBC                              31
6          Binghamton                    30
7          UAlbany                          26
8          NJIT                                 15
9          New Hampshire              12

MILESTONE WATCH
1100 career points -Marcus Banks, Jr. (1025)
1100 career points - Bryce Johnson (1029)
900 career points - Marlon Short (839)
700 career points, Josh Odunowo, (671)
225 career 3-pointers-Marcus Banks, (200)
450 career rebounds - Marlon Short (436).
400 career field goals - Bryce Johnson (344)
150 career 3pt-fg - Bryce Johnson (142).

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