BALTIMORE - Looking to snap a brief two-game skid, UMBC welcomes New Hampshire to the 'Peake on Valentine's Day. Use code
LOVE26 to purchase 2 tickets for $14 for Saturday's game! The Retrievers enter the game at 11-12 with a 6-5 record in America East play, while UNH comes to town with an 8-16 record, falling to 2-9 in the league on Thursday.
Winners of the last two meetings, UMBC holds a slight 22-21 edge over New Hampshire in the all-time series. UMBC has won six of the last eight meetings, dating back to 2022. UMBC used a dominant fourth quarter in Durham, N.H., to pick up a 58-47 victory on January 10. Jade Tillman contributed 17 points and six rebounds, while Heidi Williams added 15 points and six rebounds off the bench in the winning effort. UMBC didn't allow a single Wildcat to score more than nine points in the contest.
LAST TIME OUT
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Despite a furious late-game comeback attempt, the UMBC women's basketball team dropped a tightly contested America East contest to Maine, 56-55, on Thursday evening inside Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. Maine built its second 13-point lead of the game in the fourth quarter, jumping ahead 50-37 with 5:57 remaining, but the Retrievers ripped off a 10-0 run, making it a one-possession game. Tiara Bellamy scored the first six points of the run before back-to-back buckets from Delaney Yarborough. A three-point play from Jade Tillman with 2:52 left pulled UMBC within two for the first time since the game was tied 15-15 in the second quarter. Adrianna Smith would score for the Black Bears, followed by a pair of Kennedy Austin free throws, once again making it a two-point game with 33 seconds left. The Retrievers played it out, eventually fouling Sarah Talon on a jumper with two seconds left. Talon would knock down the free throws and Tillman would hit a three-pointer before the buzzer sounded, leaving the Retrievers just a point shy of the completed comeback effort.
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Junior guard Maggie Cavanaugh (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.) scored a team-high 16 points but the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team was defeated 55-47 by NJIT at the Joel and Diane Bloom Events Center on Thursday night. Cavanaugh, who shot 8 of 14 from the floor, also led the Wildcats in both rebounds (seven) and assists (four). Junior guard Eva DeChent (Westchester, N.Y.) also scored in double digits with 13 points. NJIT was led by the duo of Allison Cannon (17 points) and Alejandra Zuniga (16).
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
- UNH is led by 2025 America East Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference Selection Eva DeChent
- DeChent, the 2025 America East scoring champion, is averaging 17 points per game on 41.4% shooting, and is grabbing a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game. She has also gotten to the line at a strong clip, ranking 38th in Division I with 104 free throws made and 51st in free throws attempted.
- Maggie Cavanaugh is second on the team in both points (9.2) and rebounds (4.8).
- The Wildcats are second in the America East in free-throw percentage, converting at a 74.5% clip from the charity stripe. This ranks them 72nd in Division I.
- The Wildcats also sit inside the top-75 nationally in fouls per game, committing only 15.2 fouls per game.
- Megan Shoniker is in her second season at the helm at UNH. In her first season leading the Wildcats, Shoniker guided the program to its first double-digit win total since 2019-20 and first postseason appearance since 2021-22. UNH recorded its first America East playoff win since 2011-12 and saw sophomore guard Eva DeChent earn America East Newcomer of the Year and a spot on the All-Conference First Team—the program's first All-Conference selection since 2019-20.
SCOUTING THE DAWGS
ROOKIES RUNNING WILD
- On Monday, Heidi Williams became the second player in UMBC history and first since 2014 to receive five or more America East Rookie of the Week honors. Williams joins Sara Tarbert (2013-14) as the only two Retrievers with five or more Rookie of the Week honors.
- Williams has received the award in three straight weeks, giving UMBC seven Rookie of the Week honors this season.
NOTHING BUT NET
- As of Friday, Feb. 13, UMBC ranks 208th in the NCAA's NET rankings. In the NET era, UMBC had never reached higher than 269 in the rankings prior to the 2025-26 season. The Retrievers reached 187th earlier this season, the program's highest-ever ranking.
- UMBC is 1-1 in Quadrant 1 with a win over Virginia and a loss to Maryland.
- New Hampshire ranks 280th in the NET.
- UMBC in the Comprehensive WBB Rankings - NET - 208 | Massey - 265 | KPI - 203 | Her Hoops - 213
HISTORY MADE
- UMBC's victory on the road at Virginia was a historic one for the Retrievers. UMBC never trailed, allowing Virginia to tie the contest once in the fourth before fighting off the Cavalier rally for a 61-56 victory.
- The win on Thursday was the first Power 4 (ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12) victory in UMBC program history, snapping a streak of 38 straight losses against such programs. UMBC was previously 0-4 all-time against Virginia and 0-15 against the ACC.
- The 64 percent UMBC shot from three in the win proved to be its best showing from distance since shooting 66.7 percent from deep at George Mason in December 2024.
- Candice Hill's program shocked the Cavaliers from the jump, building an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes of the contest. The lead grew to 14 midway through the second quarter as Yánez drilled a three to make it 33-19 Retrievers. UMBC took an eight-point lead into the break and led by 12 at the 7:40 mark of the third as Williams connected from deep, but UVA was able to trim the deficit to one with 37 ticks left on the third quarter clock. Kennedy Austin found Scott open for three with 11 seconds remaining in the third to put the Retrievers up by four entering the final quarter of play. Virginia tied the game at 54 with 3:13 to play, but the Cavaliers never took the lead as the Retrievers held on to win on the road. Tiara Bellamy went baseline, converting a reverse layup with 28 seconds left to put UMBC up by three. Virginia once again pulled within one, but Williams made four free throws in the final six seconds to ice the game.
GETTING TO KNOW THE DAWGS
- Hill's program features five returners and eight newcomers in 2025-26. Carmen Yánez is the lone returning starter for UMBC, while fellow captain Tiara Bellamy is expected to fill a larger role. Also back are junior Alaina Williams, and sophomores Lauren Thompson and Kenya Ramsey.
- UMBC's eight newcomers are split between four transfers and four freshmen.
- The 2025-26 Retrievers represent three countries and six states.
- Maryland (5) -> Austin, Scott, Tillman, H. Williams, Yarborough
- New Jersey (2) -> Bellamy, Slomack
- Connecticut (1) -> Thompson
- Florida (1) -> A. Williams
- Virginia (1) -> Ramsey
- West Virginia (1) -> Jones
- Spain (1) -> Yánez
- England (1) -> Crowley
- Yánez, Bellamy, and Yarborough will captain the program in 2025-26. Yánez started 28 games last season and handed out five or more assists in seven different games. Bellamy averaged just under four points per game off the bench in year one as a Retriever after transferring from Saint Peter's. Yarborough, the veteran transfer from NC A&T, posted five games with at least five rebounds and put forth her best performance of the season (9 pts, 6 reb) against her former school, Stony Brook.
2024-25 IN REWIND
- The 2024-25 Retrievers posted a record of 14-15 in year one under Candice Hill, matching the 2022-23 record for the most wins since 2016-17 for UMBC women's hoops.
- UMBC reached the America East Conference Tournament as the #7 seed before falling to #2 Vermont, 70-39. The Retrievers held a two-point lead after the opening 10 minutes before the Catamounts pulled away.
- The name of the game for the Retrievers in 2024-25 was defense as UMBC ranked in the top-65 in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game. The Retrievers defended the three-point line extremely well, finishing the season 37th in Division I and second in the America East as teams shot just 28.1 percent from deep.
- UMBC was also stellar at the charity stripe last season, knocking down its free throws at a 74.7 percent clip, ranking in the top-80 in Division I and recording the third-best mark in program history.
- Under Hill's guidance, the Retrievers improved offensively from behind the three-point line (29.5% -> 30.4 %) and the free-throw line (67.8% -> 74.7%). The Retrievers also handed out 10.4 assists per game compared to 9.9 the season prior and turned the ball over 1.3 fewer times per game in 2024-25.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL
1. Vermont 63 (7)
2. Maine 55 (2)
3. Bryant 46
4. UAlbany 42
5. NJIT 37
6. Binghamton 26
7. New Hampshire 24
8. UMBC 23
9. UMass Lowell 8
WHAT'S NEXT
