Men's Hoops Set to Host Delaware State on Saturday Afternoon

The Retrievers are competing in their 58th season as well as their 40th season of D1 hoops in Baltimore.
UMBC has a record of 674-952 (.414) all-time.
The Retrievers are 477-679 (.412) at the DI level
UMBC was selected to finish seventh in the America East Preseason Poll.
Graduate student Josh Odunowo was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team after averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season.
The Retrievers have nine new faces in 2025-26.
UMBC looks to go 5-2 for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

PLAY THAT HIT AGAIN MR. DJ

DJ Armstrong's trey against Morgan State (11/11) was the first time UMBC hit a game-winner in the final five seconds since Craig Beaudion II. (11/20/22 vs. Central Conn.).
Armstrong Jr. followed that up with a buzzer-beater to defeat Wagner in overtime on Nov. 16.
Armstrong Jr. was named the America East Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 17.
Armstrong Jr. was featured on #SCTop10 twice. Teammate Jah'Likai King also made the list after his crossover move and hoop against Penn State York.
Armstrong Jr. is 15th in the America East in scoring (12.0 ppg.) and is second in 3s per game (2.8). He currently leads the circuit in 3-point field goal percentage (.500).

LAST TIME OUT - UMBC CRUISES AGAINST NOTRE DAME (MD)

UMBC's fifth-year senior guard, Cougar Downing, scored a season-high 19 points, leading four Retrievers in double figures as they secured a commanding 102-52 victory against Notre Dame of Maryland University on Monday evening at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. It was the Retrievers' first 50-point victory since they defeated Valley Forge, 120-61, last season on November 11, 2024.
"After the disappointing game last week against George Washington, we challenged ourselves as a team to return to the way we're supposed to play," said UMBC head coach Jim Ferry. "I thought we did a much better job of sharing the ball, and we are continuing to improve defensively. As a group, we're becoming more connected. We're not fouling as much, we are rebounding better, and we're forcing tougher shots. We need to keep building on this as our offensive rhythm and continuity continue to grow."
Downing made five of his seven attempts from three-point range in just 17 minutes off the bench, finishing the game 6-of-8 from the floor. Junior forward Daylon Dickerson narrowly missed a double-double, contributing 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 14 minutes of play. Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo also had a strong performance, scoring a season-best 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while junior guard Ace Valentine added 10 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high six assists. Additionally, junior guard Jah'Likai King recorded a game-high ten rebounds, along with three steals, just one shy of his career-high.
"Coach {Ferry} always emphasizes the importance of the next play," Downing stated. "If I miss a shot, I remind myself that the next one could go in. It doesn't mean I stop playing hard or following the things he asks me to do. My teammates are very good at boosting my confidence. I think they have more faith in me than I do in myself sometimes. It's great to have that around me."
The Retrievers (4-2) built a 19-point lead in the first half, going up 31-12 with 8:29 left after a three-pointer by sophomore forward Caden Diggs from the left corner. Notre Dame (Md.) managed to cut the deficit to 37-27 with a 15-6 run at the 3:46 mark, but UMBC responded, outscoring the visitors 11-2 to close the half with a 48-29 lead.
UMBC quickly dispelled any doubts in the second half, extending their lead to 59-31 following a fastbreak layup by Valentine with 15:56 remaining. Marlon Lewis hit a jumper to bring the Gators (3-4) within 59-35 at the 14:50 mark, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the game.
The Dawgs went on a 20-4 run over the next five minutes, widening the gap to 79-39 after another layup by Dickerson.
They finished the game shooting 39-of-71 from the field for an impressive 54.9 percent. The Retrievers also set a season high with 12 three-pointers, converting 12-for-32 (31.3 percent) from beyond the arc, and went 12-for-16 (75 percent) from the free-throw line.
Defensively, UMBC held the Gators to just 31 percent shooting (23-for-74), and the visitors struggled from long-distance, missing 19 of their 20 attempts from behind the arc.
The Retrievers dominated on the boards with a 55-30 advantage and outscored the Gators 54-36 in the paint. Additionally, UMBC recorded a season-best ten steals.

ABOUT DELAWARE STATE

The Hornets are coming off a 62-58 loss to Virginia State on Wednesday evening.
Opponents are outscoring the Hornets by a 74.0-58.8 margin through seven contests.
Delaware State has struggled from the field as they have shot just .367 percent overall and .296 from behind the arc.
Ponce James hit a triple at the buzzer in Delaware State's 66-64 win against Kean on 11/20.

SERIES HISTORY WITH DELAWARE STATE

UMBC leads, 2-0.
The Retrievers defeated the Hornets by a 90-68 in Baltimore during the 2016-17 season.
UMBC won in Delaware, 81-60, during the 2017-18 season.

THE KING HITS A GRAND

Jah'Likai King went over the 1,000 mark for his career at GW on November 18. King scored 934 points in his first two seasons at New Haven (DII) before coming to Baltimore this season.
King currently leads the squad in scoring at 13.2 ppg., which is currently ninth in the America East.
King became the first Retriever in the Jim Ferry era to draw 10 fouls in the game versus Wagner (11/16)

DICKERSON DELIGHTS

Junior forward Daylon Dickerson has been perhaps the biggest surprise for the Retrievers in the early going.
Dickerson is playing 20.2 minutes per game after just 7.8 minutes per game in his first season in Baltimore in 24-25.
Dickerson recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the victory at Morgan State (11/11). Both were career highs.

A PROGRAM ON THR RISE

UMBC is enjoying their best stretch in program history as the Retrievers have gone a combined 166-154 (.517) over the past ten seasons. They are 84-79 (516) in AE Play.
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 26th season as a collegiate head coach and his fifth at UMBC.
Ferry own a 64-69 record in Baltimore,
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 (7)    63
T-2 Maine (1)        47
T-2      UAlbany          47
4          UMass Lowell (1) 39
5.         Binghamton    37
6.         Bryant             35
7          UMBC              31
8.         NJIT                 13
9          New Hampshire 12

MILESTONE WATCH
1000 career points, Jah'Likai King (1,013)
200 career assists, Jah'Likai King (186)
500 career rebounds, Jah'Likai King (441)
800 career points, Josh Odunowo (794)
500 career rebounds, Josh Odunowo (417)
100 career blocks, Josh Odunowo (72)
500 career points, Cougar Downing (515)
500 career points, Ace Valentine, (501)
250 career assists, Ace Valentine (213)
500 career rebounds, Paul Greene (465)
500 career points , Paul Greene (491)

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