Men's Basketball Travels to America East Leader Bryant on Saturday Afternoon

UMBC recovered from a slow start and defeated the Binghamton Bearcats, 81-77, in an America East Conference contest on Thursday evening at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. The Retrievers improve to 12-14 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. scored a game-high 21 points to pace four Retrievers in double-figures. Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo contributed 17 points and corralled a team-high nine rebounds while tying his career-best with five rejections. Senior guard Bryce Johnson and classmate Marlon Short both contributed 14 points.
Bryant improved to 7-3 at home with an 88-66 victory over NJIT on Thursday night at the Chace. The Bulldogs shot a season-best 53.6 percent from the field in the contest. Earl Timberlake (21 pts, 10 reb) and Barry Evans (15 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) each finished with double-doubles to lead five Bulldogs in double figures.
Bryant enters Saturday averaging a league-best 83.5 ppg in America East games. The Bulldogs have scored 80+ points in 8-of-11 games. Bryant also ranks first in field goal defense (.392), 3pFG/game (8.5), rebounding (41.9, +6.3), turnovers (9.2) and blocks (7.18).

SERIES HISTORY

Bryant owns a 3-2 lead in the DI series history with UMBC. The Bulldogs have won each of the last three games, including a 92-86 victory in Baltimore on Jan. 30, 2025.
In a game that aired on ESPNU last month, Bryant weathered a second-half rally by the Retrievers. The Bulldogs led by 10 early in the second half but UMBC rallied to take a 68-64 lead with just over 11:00 left. Aaron Davis then hit two consecutive threes to tie the score at 70-70. UMBC would take an 81-80 lead with 4:13 left but Rafael Pinzon gave Bryant the lead for good with a three on the next possession.
Four of the five games in the series have been decided by eight points or less. The Retrievers won both games in 2023, 81-73 and 76-73.

LAST TIME OUT

The UMBC men's basketball recovered from a slow start and defeated the Binghamton Bearcats, 81-77, in an America East Conference contest on Thursday evening at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. The Retrievers improve to 12-14 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. scored a game-high 21 points to pace four Retrievers in double-figures. Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo contributed 17 points and corralled a team-high nine rebounds while tying his career-best with five rejections. Senior guard Bryce Johnson and classmate Marlon Short both contributed 14 points.
Binghamton (12-14, 4-7 AE) raced out to a 15-2 advantage over the first 5:11 of the contest as guard Chris Walker (team-high 17 points) drained a pair of treys to lead the charge.
UMBC went on a 13-2 run to close within 17-15 after Short's transition dunk with 7:44 left, and the hosts eventually evened the game at 21-21 after another bucket from Short just two and a half minutes later.
Odunowo staked the Dawgs to their first lead, 24-23, after completing a traditional three-point play with 3:11 left in the stanza. Banks Jr. then drilled his first trifecta of the game with twenty-seven ticks left to give the hosts a 31-27 edge at the break.
The Retrievers continued to build on their momentum, extending their lead to 48-38 after sophomore guard Ace Valentine's triple with 15:41 left.
Banks Jr. spotted UMBC with a 55-41 advantage after completing a three-point play at the 13:07 mark.
The Bearcats cut the deficit to single figures at 58-49 after a layup by forward Tymu Chenery with 9:57 remaining. However, the hosts went on a 15-7 burst to capture their largest lead of the night at 73-56 with 4:13 to play. Banks Jr. ignited the stretch with a trifecta, and Short finished a dunk to cap it off.
The visitors made things interesting down the stretch, closing within three points on four different occasions in the final minute.
Banks Jr. hit one of two from the line with five seconds left to give UMBC an 81-77 edge, and Binghamton could not get off another shot.
Gavin Walsh recorded 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Bearcats.
The Retrievers travel to America East, leading Bryant on Saturday afternoon.

IT'S BRYCE'S WORLD
Johnson Bryce is averaging 19.0 ppg. over his last 14 contests and is 86-of-161 (54 percent) from the floor over the span. In addition, he's knocked down 58-of-70 free throws (82 percent). He hit 1,000 points for his career at UAlbany last month. Johnson has reached 20+ points on nine different occasions, including seven of his last 14 games. He's now 3rd in the league in scoring (16.9 ppg.) and ranks 92nd in the nation.
Bryce 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 14 games.
The nine 20-pt games are second in the league.
He's also drawing a team-high 3.9 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 90th in the country with 122 free throw attempts although he's failed to reach the line in three straight contests.

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 seven contests this season and is fourth in the country in total makes. His 3.1 threes per game ranks first in the America East and is 30th in the NCAA. His 42 percent clip from behind the arc is 3rd in the league and slots 51st in the country.
Overall, the sharpshooter is 6th on the circuit, scoring at 15.5 ppg. He's also one of the top guards in the conference in rebounding (4.1 pg.) and is 27th overall.

NOT JOSHING AROUND
GR forward Josh Odunowo has enjoyed an excellent season at UMBC.
The Columbia graduate is 25th in the league in scoring (11.2 ppg.), 12th in rebounding (5.3 rpg.) and is 9th in blocks per game (0.8). In addition, he ranks 4th in field goal percentage (.553).
Odunowo has reached double digits in scoring in nine of his last 12 contests.
He recorded 17 points and a team-high nine boards along with 5 blocks (tied career high).

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 15 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 6th in the league with 3.4 assists per game and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.1).

BOMBS AWAY
• UMBC leads the AE with 8.6 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 lead the league in 3-pt field goal percentage (.379) and are 18th in the nation.
• UMBC has reached double-figures in treys 11 different times.
• Marcus Banks Jr. (3.1 pg.) and Louie Jordan (1.9 pg.) rank first and 12th respectively in treys per game. Johnson is now 15th (1.6 pg.). Banks Jr. is 3rd (.420) 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 4th the AE in the category at 14.9 pg. and are 82nd in the NCAA.
Ace Valentine is 5th in the league with 3.5 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 156-122 (.562) over the past nine seasons. They are 78-58 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 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
1200 career points -Marcus Banks, Jr. (1126)
1100 career points - Bryce Johnson (1091)
900 career points - Marlon Short (892)
750 career points, Josh Odunowo, (724)
225 career 3-pointers-Marcus Banks, (220)
450 career rebounds - Marlon Short (438).
400 career field goals - Bryce Johnson (375)
150 career 3pt-fg - Bryce Johnson (152).

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