BALTIMORE - On the heels of a dominant defensive performance in a 61-44 win over New Hampshire, UMBC will kick off a three-game road trip at Vermont on Thursday night. UMBC enters the contest at 12-12 with a 7-5 record in America East play, matching last season's conference win total with four games to go. Vermont sits atop the league standings with an 11-2 record in conference play, and holds a 22-6 overall record.
Thursday will be the 51st all-time meeting between Vermont and UMBC. The Catamounts have gotten the better of the Retrievers recently, winning nine straight, dating back to 2023. The Retrievers dominated the series from 2011-2017, winning 11 of 14 meetings. In the most recent meeting in January, Nikola Priede was dominant, going for 21 points and 12 rebounds on 10-16 shooting. Keira Hanson and Jadyn Weltz added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Malia Lenz grabbed 10 rebounds. Jade Tillman was the only Retriever to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT
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UMBC used a dominant third quarter to pull away from New Hampshire. The Retrievers outscored the Wildcats 15-5 in the third before coming away with a 61-44 victory. Delaney Yarborough was a perfect eight-for-eight from the field, finishing with a career-high 21 points, three rebounds, and two blocks off the bench to lead UMBC. Jade Tillman finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and four steals, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 17 games in the victory. Dagny Slomack gave the Retrievers eight points off the bench, while Heidi Williams added seven points and seven rebounds.
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In the 52-45 win at Bryant, Nikola Priede recorded a double-double (12 pts, 10 reb), while Keira Hanson (15) and Jadyn Weltz (13) added double-digit scoring efforts. After a tie game at the break, Vermont took a 39-37 lead on a Weltz layup with 2:48 left in the third. Bryant would tie the game with 4:55 to play on a pair of Mia Mancini free throws, but the Catamounts ended the game on a 9-2 run to pull out the victory and win their 11th league game.
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
- The Catamounts have four players that have started all 28 of their games this season in Priede, Hanson, Weltz, and Malia Lenz. Vermont has only had to use six players in the starting lineup this season with Emma Haan starting 18 games after Catherine Gilwee started 10 contests before injury.
- Priede is a stat-sheet stuffer, averaging 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game. She is up to 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in America East play, and has recorded nine double-doubles this season. She has recorded a double-double in four of her last six games and has scored 20 or more points nine times.
- Hanson is averaging 14.2 points per game and has knocked down 55 triples this season. She has stayed consistent, averaging 14.0 points in league games while shooting 41.5 percent from deep. She reached 20 points for the fourth time this season on Thursday, scoring 21 against Binghamton.
- Weltz averages 11.6 points per game and has knocked down 37 threes. Similar to Hanson, her America East scoring average remains similar at 11.3 per game. She has reached double figures in six of her last nine games.
- The Catamounts rank inside the top-10 nationally in three different statistical categories. Only Minnesota and Colorado State average less turnovers per game (10.5) than Vermont. The Catamounts rank fifth in scoring defense, holding opponents to 53.1 points per game, and seventh in opponents three point percentage, allowing teams to make just 25.8 percent of threes.
SCOUTING THE DAWGS
- On offense, UMBC is led by junior Jade Tillman, who averages 14.9 points per game. Tillman has scored in double figures in 17 straight contests and is averaging nearly 17 points per game in America East play. Tillman has scored 15 or more points in 10 of the 17 games, including 20-plus four times. In January, Tillman had a stretch of three straight games with a double-double before narrowly missing with 19 points and nine rebounds against UMass Lowell. Tillman is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 per game and leads the team in steals with 49.
- Tillman currently sits third all-time in single-season free throw percentage, knocking down 87.2 percent of her free throws. She currently sits 33rd in Division I and leads the America East.
- Six-time America East Rookie of the Week, Heidi Williams continues to have a significant impact on the Retrievers' success. Averaging 10.0 points per game and 5.2 rebounds, Williams has upped those numbers to 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in America East play. Williams has scored in double figures 11 times this season and in six of 12 America East games.
- With six assists on Saturday, Carmen Yanez moved into 12th all-time in UMBC history with 254 career assists. Yanez recently passed Karyn Swann and Michelle Kurowski on the all-time list. Yanez has moved into the top-50 nationally in assist/turnover ratio this season with a 1.98 mark.
- UMBC ranks third in the America East and 25th nationally in three-point percentage defense. Opposing teams are knocking down just 27.0 percent of their tries from deep against UMBC. The Retrievers have held their opponent to three or fewer triples in 11 different games. Opponents have also shot 30 % or worse from deep in 13 different games this season.
- Currently holding opponents to 58.2 points per game, the Retrievers rank 39th in Division I in scoring defense. With Saturday's effort, UMBC has held the opposition under 50 points eight times this season.
- Continuing to pound the offensive glass, UMBC sits 42nd in the country in offensive boards per game with 14.3. The Retrievers have 20 or more offensive boards in five games this season and 15 or more in 10 games this season.
ROOKIES RECORD WATCH
- On Monday, February 16, Heidi Williams became just the second Retriever in America East history to log six America East Rookie of the Week nods.
- Williams is the first player in over a decade to do so, joining Sara Tarbert, who accomplished the feat during the 2013-14 campaign.
- With multiple games to go, both Williams and Kennedy Austin have worked their way onto the UMBC freshman record lists. Williams has moved into seventh place on the UMBC list with 46 steals, just three shy of taking a solo hold on fourth place. She is also 10 field goals and 35 points away from the freshmen top 10.
- Kennedy Austin recently moved into a tie for 10th on the rookie list in free throws made with 67.
NOTHING BUT NET
- As of Monday, Feb. 16, UMBC ranks 199th 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.
- Vermont currently ranks 87th in the NET. The Catamounts have played one Quad 1 game and three Quad 3 games this season.
- UMBC in the Comprehensive WBB Rankings - NET - 199 | Massey - 264 | KPI - 194 | Her Hoops - 209
DAWGS IN THE TOP 10
UMBC has a number of players in the top 10 in the America East in various stat categories
- Jade Tillman - 1st in Steals (49), 1st in FT % (87.2), 4th in FTM (95), 6th in RPG (7.1), 7th in PPG (14.9)
- Kennedy Austin - 6th in FT% (73.6), 9th in SPG (1.5)
- Carmen Yanez - 1st in A/TO (2.0), 4th in assists (95), 5th in APG (4.0)
- Delaney Yarborough - 8th in blocks & BPG (21, 0.9)
- Heidi Williams - 2nd in SPG (1.9), 3rd in steals (46)
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
