BALTIMORE - UMBC women's basketball travels to Princess Anne, Md. for a mid-day meeting with University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Wednesday at 12 p.m.
Wednesday's matchup will be the 18th all-time meeting between UMBC and UMES and the first since 2023. UMBC holds the all-time edge in the series, leading 9-8, but UMES has won the last five contests. The Retrievers won six of the first seven matchups between the programs dating from 1982 and 2009. The last meeting between the programs took place in the Hytche Center on November 26, 2023.
Carmen Yánez is the only returning Retriever to play in that contest, starting and logging 28 minutes with 1 point, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. Ashanti Lynch had five points and six steals for the Hawks in the 70-54 win.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
- Heidi Williams became UMBC's first America East Weekly Award winner for the 2025-26 season after an impressive week for the Dawgs. Williams averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Williams is the first Retriever to be named Rookie of the Week since Lyric Swann in January, 2020. In Thursday's historic victory over Virginia, Williams scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in 20 minutes. She also hit four free throws in the final six seconds of the game to ice away the victory for UMBC. Williams made seven of eight free throws in the game. She added six points, six rebounds, and three blocks on Sunday afternoon in a 56-54 loss to Brown.
- For the season, Williams is averaging 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 22.5 minutes off the bench.
LAST TIME OUT
- UMBC enters Wednesday afternoon's contest at 2-2 on the season. The Retrievers enjoyed the high of a victory over Virginia, the program's first victory over a Power Four opponent on Thursday before dropping a tight contest versus Brown on Sunday afternoon.
- UMBC women's basketball raced back to take a late lead before dropping a 56-54 contest to Brown on Sunday afternoon in Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
- Dagny Slomack was spectacular, exploding onto the scene for the Retrievers with her first 16 points of the season after working her way back from injury. The sophomore transfer from Central Connecticut State hit four threes, scored 10 points in the second quarter, and led the team in scoring in 23 minutes off the bench. The UMBC bench continues to perform, scoring 41 of the team's 54 points with Kennedy Austin adding 15 more for the Retrievers. Austin is averaging 10.3 points per contest in four games at UMBC after surpassing her previous career-high of 14 tonight.
- Defensively, UMBC held Brown to 39.6 percent from the field and 25 percent in the second half. The Retrievers forced 23 turnovers with Gabby Scott nabbing four steals to lead the effort. Scott was also the team's leading rebounder with seven.
- UMBC continues to be automatic at the charity stripe. After shooting a perfect 15-15, the team is shooting nearly 82 percent from the free-throw line this season. Sunday's showing is the top free-throw shooting mark in program history as the Retrievers shot a perfect 14-14 from the line in 1986 against Bucknell.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
- The 3-2 Hawks are outscoring their opponents by 6.6 points per contest through five games. UMES defeated Cheyney (91-37), Monmouth (71-66), and Loyola Chicago (70-67) with losses to VCU (48-62) and Northwestern (54-69).
- Most recently, UMES went on the road for a 70-67 over Loyola Chicago, holding on despite being outscored by 13 in the second half. Brianna Barnes led the way with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists with Lainey Allen contributing a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
- Barnes is the team leader with 12.0 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. Ashanti Lynch is averaging 10.8 points and 4.2 rebounds while ranking near the top of the country nationally with 20 steals. Kaliya Perry pulls down a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game to go with 9.0 points per game.
- Malikah Willis is in her second season as the head coach of the UMES program. The 1998 Iowa graduate led the Hawks to a record of 14-17 in 2024-25 with an 8-6 record in the MEAC. The Hawks defeated Morgan State, 74-67, in the opening round of the tournament before falling to Howard in the semifinal round.
- UMES makes life tough for opposing offenses, ranking 26th nationally in steals per game with 14.0 and 33rd in turnovers forced per game with 24.40. Ashanti Lynch ranks sixth in DI with 20 steals and 15th with 4.0 steals per game.
SCOUTING THE DAWGS
- UMBC enters Wednesday afternoon's contest at 2-2 on the season. The Retrievers enjoyed the high of a victory over Virginia, the program's first victory over a Power Four opponent on Thursday before dropping a tight contest versus Brown on Sunday afternoon.
- The Retrievers enter the game with three scorers in double figures, led by Jade Tillman at 12.3 points per game. She is joined by Heidi Williams (12.0) and Kennedy Austin (10.3) who both lead the Retriever bench unit.
- The most experienced Retriever, Carmen Yánez sits 20 assists away from 200 for her career. She is off to a strong start in 2025-26, handing out more than five assists per game. Along with needing 20 assists to reach 200, she needs 33 more assists to etch her name into the UMBC record book as an addition to the list of all-time assist leaders.
- The UMBC bench has provided a great boost to start the season, ranking 30th nationally in bench points at 33.8 per game. Most recently, thanks to 31 points from Dagny Slomack and Kennedy Austin, the Retriever bench combined for 41 points on Sunday vs. Brown.
- The Dawgs continue to defend the three-point line well, something they did incredibly well under Candice Hill in 2024-25. So far through four games, UMBC is holding opponents to just 23.5 percent from deep, topping the America East amd ranking in the top 50 nationally.
- UMBC has been nearly automatic at the charity stripe to start the season, knocking down shots at an 81.8 percent clip. The Dawgs have two games this season in which they've been perfect from the line, including Sunday's 15-15 performance vs. Brown.
GETTING TO KNOW THE DAWGS
- Hill's program features five returners and eight newcomers in 2025-26. Carmen Yánez is the lone returning starter for UMBC, while fellow captain Tiara Bellamy is expected to fill a larger role. Also back are junior Alaina Williams, and sophomores Lauren Thompson and Kenya Ramsey.
- UMBC's eight newcomers are split between four transfers and four freshmen.
- The 2025-26 Retrievers represent three countries and six states.
- Maryland (5) -> Austin, Scott, Tillman, H. Williams, Yarborough
- New Jersey (2) -> Bellamy, Slomack
- Connecticut (1) -> Thompson
- Florida (1) -> A. Williams
- Virginia (1) -> Ramsey
- West Virginia (1) -> Jones
- Spain (1) -> Yánez
- England (1) -> Crowley
- Yánez, Bellamy, and Yarborough will captain the program in 2025-26. Yánez started 28 games last season and handed out five or more assists in seven different games. Bellamy averaged just under four points per game off the bench in year one as a Retriever after transferring from Saint Peter's. Yarborough, the veteran transfer from NC A&T, posted five games with at least five rebounds and put forth her best performance of the season (9 pts, 6 reb) against her former school, Stony Brook.
2024-25 IN REWIND
- The 2024-25 Retrievers posted a record of 14-15 in year one under Candice Hill, matching the 2022-23 record for the most wins since 2016-17 for UMBC women's hoops.
- UMBC reached the America East Conference Tournament as the #7 seed before falling to #2 Vermont, 70-39. The Retrievers held a two-point lead after the opening 10 minutes before the Catamounts pulled away.
- The name of the game for the Retrievers in 2024-25 was defense as UMBC ranked in the top-65 in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game. The Retrievers defended the three-point line extremely well, finishing the season 37th in Division I and second in the America East as teams shot just 28.1 percent from deep.
- UMBC was also stellar at the charity stripe last season, knocking down its free throws at a 74.7 percent clip, ranking in the top-80 in Division I and recording the third-best mark in program history.
- Under Hill's guidance, the Retrievers improved offensively from behind the three-point line (29.5% -> 30.4 %) and the free-throw line (67.8% -> 74.7%). The Retrievers also handed out 10.4 assists per game compared to 9.9 the season prior and turned the ball over 1.3 fewer times per game in 2024-25.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL
1. Vermont 63 (7)
2. Maine 55 (2)
3. Bryant 46
4. UAlbany 42
5. NJIT 37
6. Binghamton 26
7. New Hampshire 24
8. UMBC 23
9. UMass Lowell 8
WHAT'S NEXT
- UMBC will welcome local rival Towson to Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Sunday for a 5 p.m. tip. Promotions for Sunday's game include Youth Day, a Mutts Gone Nuts Halftime Performance, Dollar Dog Night, and a Canned Food Drive. Each non-perishable item donated earns you $1 off concessions with the ability to get up to $5 off your concessions in the arena.
