Men's Hoops Travels to Towson for UA 410 Invitational Championship Game on Saturday Evening

UMBC advanced in the Under Armour 410 Invitational by defeating the Morgan State Bears, 85-70, at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Thursday evening. The Retrievers were led by a dynamic backcourt duo: redshirt senior Devin Ceaser and freshman Aidan Able, who combined for an impressive 41 points. Ceaser showcased his experience and clutch scoring, while the sharpshooting Able provided a spark from beyond the arc, helping UMBC seize control of the contest.
UMBC (2-2), set to travel to Towson on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the championship game, turned a slim 42-39 halftime advantage into a commanding lead with a relentless 22-6 run to start the second half. Their aggressive defense and up-tempo offense left Morgan State struggling to keep up during this decisive stretch.
Ceaser contributed a well-rounded performance, shooting 7-of-15 from the field, knocking down three of eight three-point attempts, and converting four of five free throws. Able, meanwhile, was electric from long range, sinking six of twelve three-point shots, the most by a UMBC freshman since Joe Sherburne's memorable outing against Duquesne in 2015.
Junior forward JP Ndong and freshman center Steven Huan contributed off the bench, each tallying 10 points. Their energy and efficient play gave the Retrievers an added boost, marking UMBC's third consecutive victory over Morgan State.
UMBC's stifling defense forced 20 turnovers, and the team converted those opportunities into 29 points. The Retrievers also dominated inside, outscoring Morgan State 36-24 in the paint.
Morgan State (3-1) made a brief push early in the second half, narrowing the gap to 42-41 after a layup by Keith Richard with 19:05 to play. However, Ceaser responded with back-to-back three-pointers, stretching UMBC's lead to 50-43 with 17:17 remaining and shifting momentum firmly back to the Retrievers.
Leading 50-45 with 17:00 left, the Retrievers erupted for a 14-0 scoring run, stretching their lead to 64-45 by the 13:09 mark. Ceaser jump-started the surge with a fast-break layup following a steal, and Huan capped it off with a thunderous alley-oop dunk, courtesy of a perfectly timed assist from sophomore guard Carlos Varela. The energetic sequence brought the crowd to its feet and effectively put the game out of reach for the Bears.
The Bears threatened to close the gap after Khali Horton's two free throws trimmed the deficit to 76-64 with 4:52 remaining. Yet, Able quickly silenced any hopes of a rally by draining his sixth three-pointer of the night on UMBC's ensuing possession, sealing the win for the Retrievers.
In the first half, UMBC jumped out to an 11-8 lead with 13:46 on the clock and steadily built momentum, extending their advantage to 27-14 after a 16-6 run fueled by six points from Huan.
Morgan State answered with a 14-3 run of their own, cutting UMBC's lead to just 30-28 with 4:23 left before halftime. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and the Retrievers entered the break holding a narrow 42-39 advantage.

DAWG BITES

Redshirt senior guard Devin Ceaser ranks third in the America East in scoring at 17.5 ppg. and leads the conference with an .875 free-throw mark.
Freshman guard Aidan Able leads the conference with 3.0 threes per game.
Junior forward Jovan Ristic is third on the circuit with 7.8 rebounds per game. His 13 caroms against McDaniel on Monday evening tie for the third-most in the league this season.
Sophomore forward Riley Jacobs is tied for the league lead with 2.3 steals per game and is 2nd in the league with 1.8 blocks per game.
UMBC leads the league in 3-point FGs made (9.0 per game), free-throw percentage (.851), and defensive rebounds (30.0 per game), and is second in scoring offense (75.0 pg.).

ALL-TIME vs. TOWSON

UMBC trails the series, 44-21.
In their last meeting, UMBC came up with a 84-71 victory at SECU Arena. It stopped an eight game losing skid against the Tigers.
The Retrievers are 7-15 all-time at Towson.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

Towson is 2-0 at home this season with wins against LIU and Loyola.
Pat Skerry's teams are 131-47 in SECU Arena.
Ben Roseborough set a new career high with 24 points against Loyola on Thursday. The San Jose State transfer leads Towson in scoring with 14 points per game.
Zion Stanford (13.3) and Jaquan Womack (13.0) also average double digits.

LAST MEETING AGAINST TOWSON

Senior guard Marcus Banks Jr. scored a game-high 22 points and led four Retrievers in double-figures as the visiting Retrievers ran away from the Towson Tigers, 84-71, at SECU Arena. UMBC, who had not defeated Towson since 2012, broke an eight-game losing skid against their Beltway rivals and captured the Charm City Classic.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

The Retrievers return just one player, sophomore forward Riley Jacobs, who played meaningful minutes last season. Jacobs made 16 starts and averaged 15.3 minutes per game over his 32 appearances. Redshirt senior guard Devin Ceaser played three games during the early season before being shutdown with a leg injury.
Redshirt senior forward Regimantas Ciunys missed the entire 25-26 season with a leg injury while sophomore guard Evan Morton enrolled at the school prior to the second semester but did not dress.
The Retrievers have 12 newcomers in total.

PRESEASON POLL
2026-27 Preseason Poll
1. Vermont      62 (7)
2. UMBC          46 (1)
3. Binghamton 45 (1)
4. NJIT 38
5. Bryant         36
6. UAlbany      34
7. UMass Lowell   31
8. Maine          19
9. New Hampshire 13

RETRIEVER HISTORY

The Retrievers are competing in their 60th season and their 41st season of D1 hoops in Baltimore.
UMBC has a record of 671-943 (.416) all-time.
The Retrievers are 503-689 (.422) at the DI level (41st season).
UMBC has competed in the East Coast Conference, Big South, NEC, and America East
The Dawgs have won four regular-season championships at the Division I level (3 AE, 2 outright, 1 NEC ) and three AE Tournament titles.
Last season, UMBC recorded its 6th 20-win season as a DI member and its first since 2018-19. The program's win record was set in 2017-18 with 25. The 2007-08 squad also won 24 games.
The Retrievers went 17-3 (.850) in league play as a member of the Northeast Conference in 1998-99 under Tom Sullivan. That squad won a previous DI program-best 11 straight games

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Dawgs made their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season (2008, 2018, 2026).
The Retrievers dropped an opening round game to Georgetown in Raleigh in 2008 and fell to Howard last season in the NCAA play-in round.

HISTORIC SEASON

The Dawgs accomplished their best DI conference winning percentage in program history this season (14-2, .875) and their fewest losses.
UMBC won 12 straight contests prior to falling to Howard in the NCAA play-in game.
UMBC tied for the third-best single-season conference win improvement (+8) in league history after winning just five AE games last season.
Head Coach Jim Ferry recorded his 400th career win at Maine. He is the first coach in program history to reach that mark. He's now 83-76 in five years at UMBC.
Ferry has won at least 18 games in three of his five seasons at UMBC and has recorded his first 20-win season as a Retriever in 25-26. It's the 7th 20-win season of his career.
The Retrievers went 15-2 at home this season and were a perfect 8-0 in America East regular season games at the 'Peake + three more in the AE Tournament. It's the first time the Retrievers have gone undefeated in the league on their home floor. The 15 wins equal a program record (2007-08).
UMBC is 2nd in the country in fewest fouls allowed per game (13.3).
The Retrievers led the league with a +9.2 scoring margin and are 46th in the country in the category.
UMBC was 28th in the NCAA in scoring defense (67.3 ppg.), which was tops in the AE. Last season, the Dawgs yielded 78.8 ppg.
UMBC paced the league with 27.3 defensive rebounds per game (21st NCAA).
The Dawgs were 24th in the country with just 9.6 turnovers per game.
The Retrievers outscored their 16 America East opponents 255-150 from the free-throw line during the regular season. (5.9 more makes per game).
The Retrievers were 47th in the NCAA in free-throw shooting at 76.2 percent.
UMBC led the America East in the following categories: Points Per Game, Points Per Game Allowed, Scoring Margin, FT Percentage, Field Goal Percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and Turnover Margin.

'PEAK CAPACITY

The Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena ('The Peak) drew a capacity record crowd of 4,753 rowdy fans for the America East Championship game versus Vermont this past Saturday morning.
It was UMBC's first championship in the sport of basketball, won on the 'Peake floor.

A PROGRAM ON THE RISE

UMBC is enjoying its best stretch in program history, with the Retrievers going 182-136 (.571) over the past 10 seasons. They are 95-67 (.584) in AE play.
UMBC enjoyed three straight 20+ win seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19. Their 25 victories in 2017-18 were 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 postseason 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 owns an 86-79 record (.525) in Baltimore. He holds the 2nd-best winning percentage at UMBC behind Ryan Odom (.660)
Ferry is the 7th DI head coach at UMBC.
Ferry picked up his 400th career win against Maine this season.
Ferry led the Retrievers to consecutive 18-14 records and an appearance in the America East Finals in 2021-22.
Ferry is the third UMBC Head Coach to take the Retrievers to the NCAA Tournament.
Ferry was recently named the America East Coach of the Year, the third time a UMBC coach has won the award.
Before arriving 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, including 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.

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