BALTIMORE – Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. scored a team-high 21 points and became the first Retriever in program history to nail 100 career three-pointers, but the UMBC men's basketball team dropped a 79-69 decision against the Vermont Catamounts at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Senior Day. The Retrievers completed the regular season at 13-18 (5-11 America East) and will play either No. 1 seeded Bryant or No. 2 Vermont next Saturday in the quarterfinals of the conference playoffs.

Banks Jr. scored 19 points in the second half and finished 7-for-15 overall from the floor, including 3-of-6 from distance. He became just the fifth player in America East Conference history to hit the century mark with 5:24 remaining in the contest.

Senior guard Marlon Short scored all of his 16 points in the opening half as he converted his first six shots of the afternoon. Graduate forward Josh Odunowo returned to the lineup after missing two games and finished with seven points along with a team-high 10 caroms in 34 minutes.

After trailing by as many as eight points early in the second half, UMBC rattled off 10 consecutive points to take their final lead of the game, 55-53, with 12:14 remaining.  Banks Jr. scored eight points during the stretch and splashed the go-ahead trifecta.

Vermont (19-11, 12-3 AW), who has won eight straight contests, answered with a 15-3 run to take control of the game as they built a 68-58 edge at the 6:11 mark. T.J. Hurley hit a pair of three-pointers during the key stretch.

The Retrievers managed to inch within six points on three different occasions down the stretch but could not get any closer.

Hurley led the Catamounts with 23 points and made a game-high five threes, while Sam Alamutu recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.