UMBC (12-7, 5-1 AE) at Vermont (13-8, 5-1 AE) | Thursday, Jan. 29, 7:00 p.m. | Burlington, Vermont (Patrick Gymnasium) | Watch | Live Stats | International Feed | Game Notes

RETRIEVER TIP-OFF    

• The Retrievers are competing in their 58th season as well as their 40th season of D1 hoops in Baltimore.
• UMBC has a record of 681-957 (.414) all-time.
• The Retrievers are 482-684 (.412) at the DI level
• UMBC and Vermont are tied for the league-lead with 5-1 records.
• The Retrievers are 4-5 on the road this season.
• UMBC is 3-0 in games decided by two points or less this season.
• The Dawgs are 5-5 in games decided by single-figures.
• The Dawgs own the highest overall winning percentage in the America East (.632).
• UMBC is fifth in the country in fewest fouls allowed per game (13.5).
• The Retrievers lead the league with a +5.4 scoring margin.
• The Dawgs lead the AE with a .360 three-point shooting percentage (63rd NCAA).
• UMBC leads the league with 26.7 defensive rebounds per game (75th NCAA).
• The Retrievers have outscored their five America East opponents by a combined total of 98-44 from the free throw line (9.0) more makes per game).
• Junior guard Jah'Likai King is 3rd in the league in scoring at 14.9 ppg. and graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr is 7th (13.5 ppg.).
• Armstrong leads the conference in 3-point shooting accuracy (.427, 35th NCAA) and leads the league in 3's per game (2.9, 53rd NCAA). He drilled his 200th career triple at Bryant on Jan. 15.. He also eclipsed 900-career points in the win against NJIT last Thursday night.
• Armstrong Jr. is a perfect 20-of-20 from the foul line in conference play and is a sensational 37-for-39 (.949) on the year.
• Junior guard Ace Valentine leads the conference with a 3.5 assist/turnover ratio (21st NCAA). He recorded his 250th career assist at Bryant on Jan. 15.
• Graduate student forward Josh Odunowo made his 100th career start on Saturday and scored season-best 17 points.
• Odunowo needs 10 points to reach 900 in his career.

 LAST TIME OUT - UMBC SMOTHERS UMASS LOWELL: WIN THIRD STRAIGHT AE CONTEST

• UMBC graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr. scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the first half as the Retrievers cruised to an impressive 79-56 America East Conference victory against the UMass Lowell River Hawks, Saturday afternoon at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.
• UMBC (12-7) is now off to a 5-1 start in the conference for the first time since the 2020-2021 season and is tied for the top spot with Vermont, which the Retrievers visit on Thursday evening. The win also snapped a seven-game losing streak against the River Hawks.
• Armstrong Jr., who went 5-for-5 from three-point territory in the opening half, finished 7-for-12 overall from the field.  The leading long-range artist in the league has now hit at least two treys in 16 of 19 contests this season.
• Graduate student Josh Odunowo, who made his 100th career start, played a tremendous all-around game, producing a season-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. In addition, the power forward went 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and grabbed five boards in 23 minutes of work.
• Junior guard Jah'Likai King (10 points) hit double-digits for the 12th consecutive game while classmate Jose Roberto Tanchyn garnered a season-high 11 rebounds in 20 minutes.
• UMBC frustrated UMass Lowell (8-12, 3-3 AE) all afternoon as they limited the River Hawks to just 37 percent shooting (23-of-62), including 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) from behind the arc.  The 57 points tied for the least amount of points that the Retrievers have allowed against a Division I team this season (Delaware State).
• The Retrievers, who never trailed, led 13-8 at the 14:09 mark after Odunowo converted consecutive layups.  The visitors were within 17-16 after a layup by Austin Green (team-high 14 points) with 11:20 remaining in the stanza, but that was as close as they were able to get for the remainder of the contest.
• UMBC went on an 8-2 mini run, capped by a layup by junior forward Daylon Dickerson (eight points), to extend its lead to 25-18 with 8:17 left.  Khalil Farmer hit two free throws with 4:38 left in the half, cutting the Retrievers' lead to 34-30, but the hosts went on a 12-3 burst to take their largest advantage at 46-33 with just under a minute left.  Armstrong Jr. buried two triples during the stretch and finished the spurt with a transition layup following a turnover.
• The Retrievers, who led 46-35 at the break, extended their lead to 21 points with 12:07 left in the contest as they outscored UMass Lowell by a 14-4 margin to open the stanza.  King produced six points to lead the Dawgs during the stretch.
• UMBC led by as many as 25 points on three different occasions over the final five minutes of the contest as the River Hawks never made a run.
• The Retrievers outscored UMass Lowell by a 15-1 margin off turnovers for the game.  UMBC also went a season-best 19-for-20 (95 percent) from the foul line while the visitors were just 6-of-9.
• The Dawgs have now outscored their six conference opponents by a 99-44 margin from the foul line this season, an average of 9.0 points per game.
• UMBC has now won six of their last seven and improved to 8-2 on its home floor this season.

 SERIES HISTORY WITH VERMONT

•  The Retrievers are 10-44 against the Catamounts all-time.
• UMBC is 1-7 against Vermont during the Jim Ferry era. The victory was a decisive 80-63 triumph last season in Burlington. Josh Odunowo recorded 19 points and grabbed 10 boards.
• The Dawgs are 5-22 all-time in Burlington.
• The Retrievers won a landmark game in Patrick Gymnasium in 2018, defeating the Catamounts 65-62 in 2018 to win the AE Touney. Just a week later, the Dawgs knocked off #1 overall seed UVA to become the first #16 seed to win in March.
• Vermont has won eight of the last 10 overall meetings.

 ABOUT VERMONT

•  The Catamounts have won or owned a share of the AE regular-season crown eight of the last nines seasons.
• Vermont has won the conference tournament three of the past four years. They have participated in the "Big Dance" 11 times as members of the AE.
• Vermont is 2nd in the league in scoring at 75.0 ppg and are 2nd in scoring margin (+4.0).
• The Catamounts are averaging a league-best 8.8 3's per game.
• Vermont leads the AE with a +4.2 rebounding margin.
• Gus Yalden is 2nd in the league in scoring (16.6 ppg.) and is 6th in rebounding (5.4 rpg.).
• TJ Hurley (14.5 ppg.) and TJ Long (13.7 ppg.) are also in the top-six in scoring.  Hurley is a league-best 63-for-68 (.926) from the foul line.

 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.
• He also came up clutch by hitting two free throws in a one-and-one situation with 0.9 on the clock in the 75-74 win over UNH (1/10).
• DJ also enjoyed a career game at Coppin State with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He drilled a career-best eight treys in 14 tries.
• Armstrong Jr. is 7th in the America East in scoring (13.5 ppg.) and is first in 3s per game (2.9). He's also first on the the circuit in 3-point field goal percentage (.427). He's swished at least two treys in 16-of-19 contests this season.

 THE KING HITS A GRAND; CONTINUES TO BE AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS

• 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 was named AE Player of the Week on December 8. The Newburg, New York native averaged 19.5 points while shooting an impressive 54% from the field during two road games against Georgetown and Bucknell.
• King started the week by scoring 19 points in a loss to Georgetown on Wednesday and followed it up with 20 points in a victory over Bucknell on Saturday. After trailing 26-25 at halftime against the Bison, UMBC opened the second half with a 14-6 run, establishing their largest lead of the game at 39-32 with 14:11 remaining. King contributed eight points during this crucial stretch.
• Currently, King leads the team in scoring with an average of 14.9 points per game, ranking third in the league. He is also 29th in the league in rebounding, averaging 4.1 caroms per game and is 17th in steals (1.0). Additionally, King is 4th in free throw percentage at .792.

 ACE IN THE HOLE

• Guard Ace Valentine continues to play a key role on both ends of the floor.
• Valentine leads the conference and is 25th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (3.5) and is third in the AE in assists per game (4.4).
• The junior has shot the ball well from behind the arc going 23-for-57 (.404) and is 75-of-148 overall (.507).
• He dished his 250th career assist in the loss to Bryant on Jan. 15.
• Ace has reached double-figures in scoring in six of the last eight contests and is averaging 12.9 ppg. during the stretch. He's 38-for-67 (.567) from the floor during the stretch.

 CAN YOU DIG IT?

• Sophomore forward Caden Diggs erupted for a career-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench against Buffalo. Diggs also knocked down a career-best three 3-pointers.
• Diggs recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds earlier in the season against Wagner.
• Diggs has reached double-figures in scoring in all five league contests and is averaging 12.6 ppg. during the stretch. The Old Dominion transfer is also 42-for-73 (.575) from the floor, including 7-of-16 (.438) from distance

• Junior forward Jose Tanchyn has started three of the last four games, his first three as a Retriever.
• Tanchyn scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the overtime loss at Bryant. 
• He followed that up with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting along with a season-high seven boards in the win at Binghamton.
• Tanchyn corralled a season-high 11 rebounds in the victory against UMass Lowell on Saturday.

 MILESTONE WATCH                                       
1200 career points, Jah'Likai King (1,203)
250 career assists, Jah'Likai King (211)
300 career rebounds, Jah'Likai King (296)
900 career points, Josh Odunowo (890)
500 career rebounds, Josh Odunowo (486)
100 career blocks, Josh Odunowo (78)
700 career points, Ace Valentine, (651)
300 career assists, Ace Valentine (263)
500 career rebounds, Paul Greene (475)
550 career points, Paul Greene (505)
1000 career points, DJ Armstrong Jr. (923)
225 career 3-pointers, DJ Armstrong Jr. (210)