BALTIMORE - UMBC hosts the Air Force Reserve America East Playoff Quarterfinal on Thursday, March 5 as NJIT comes to Baltimore. This marks the first time since 2022-23 in which the Retrievers earned a top-four seed.
THE BRACKET
HOW THEY GOT HERE
- UMBC comes into the Air Force Reserve America East Playoffs as the #4 seed after posting a 10-6 record in conference play this season. The Retrievers went 15-13 overall in the regular season, closing out the season with victories in four of their last five games. UMBC defeated New Hampshire at home on Feb. 14 before knocking off top-seeded Vermont in Burlington on Feb. 19. After a loss in 2OT at UAlbany, UMBC bounced back with a 2OT victory over Bryant before closing out the year with a victory over UMass Lowell.
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NJIT comes to Baltimore as the #5 seed in the playoffs, posting a 9-7 record in the league and an 18-11 record overall. NJIT has also won four of five coming in, bouncing back from a 30-point loss at Vermont on the 21st to blow out Bryant on Saturday and clinch the #5 seed. NJIT defeated New Hampshire, Maine, and UAlbany in mid-February.
LAST TIME OUT
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The Retrievers jumped out to an 18-4 lead after the first quarter before rolling to a 66-43 win over UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon. UMBC honored Carmen Yanez and Delaney Yarborough on Senior Day prior the game. Heidi Williams led UMBC with 19 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Jade Tillman logged her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Retrievers held UMass Lowell to 24.1 percent from the field.
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Sophomore Olivia Kulyk led all scorers with 21 points in the Highlanders 75-42 home victory over Bryant on Senior Day Saturday afternoon in America East Conference women's basketball action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center. The victory marked NJIT's (18-11, 9-7 America East) final home regular season game, tying the highest win total in program history, which was previously achieved in the 2004-05 season.
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday's meeting will be the 13th all-time meeting between UMBC and NJIT, and the second-ever meeting between the programs in the America East Playoffs.
- The all-time series is now tied at 6-6 after UMBC took the second matchup of the season in Newark on January 22. Both teams have a stretch of four straight victories in the series with UMBC winning four in-a-row between 2023 and 2024, and NJIT winning four straight between 2024 and 2026.
- In January, Tillman split two defenders and hit the game-winning shot to send the Retrievers to a 52-51 victory despite trailing for the majority of the contest. NJIT led by 11 entering the fourth, but a 21-9 period for UMBC was the difference.
AWARD SZN
- Jade Tillman leads a handful of Retrievers honored by the America East this season, as the sixth player in program history to earn All-America East First Team honors! Tillman was also named the league's Newcomer of the Year, making her the third Retriever to earn the honor.
- Additionally, Heidi Williams and Kennedy Austin were named to the All-Rookie Team, Tiara Bellamy was named to the All-Defensive Team, and Tillman was named to the All-Academic Team.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
- NJIT ranks 17th in the country in blocked shots, swatting away 5.1 per game, topping the America East. Olivia Kulyk and Ava Locklear combine to block 2.18 shots per contest to lead that effort.
- Kulyk also ranks inside the top-100 in five different statistical categories, minutes per game, three-point attempts, three-point percentage, three-pointers, three-pointers per game. Kulyk ranks 56th with 2.50 threes made, 60th with 34.55 minutes per game, 64th with 70 threes, 82nd with 191 three-point attempts, and 98th with a 36.6 percent mark from three.
- Kulyk and Alejandra Zuniga pace the Highlanders offensively, both crossing the 400-point threshold this season. Zuniga averages 17.8 points per contest, scoring 20 or more points in eight games this season. Zuniga scored a career-high 39 points against NJIT on Jan. 1, and became the program's all-time leading scorer on Jan. 17.
- Kulyk averages 15.0 points per game and grabs 4.9 rebounds per game. She scored 21 points in her most recent outing against Bryant and has 19 or more points in four of her last eight games.
SCOUTING THE DAWGS
- After holding UMass Lowell to 3-23 (13.0%) from three on Saturday, UMBC has moved inside the top-15 nationally in opponent three-point percentage, ranking 12th in Division I. The Retrievers are holding teams to just 26.4 percent from long range, marking them as one of just 20 women's programs in the country to allow a percentage of 27.0 or lower.
- UMBC has also moved up nationally in scoring defense, currently ranking 29th amongst Division I programs, holding teams to just 57.6 points per contest. UMBC is one of four America East teams ranked in the top-30 in the country in scoring defense.
- Tillman and Yanez both rank inside the top-50 nationally in individual statistics, with Tillman sitting 42nd in free throw percentage at 86.2, and Yanez sitting 45th in A/TO ratio with a 1.96 mark.
- Tillman continues a torrid pace offensively, scoring in double figures in 21 straight contests, dating back to November 28.
- Williams has been stellar in America East play, averaging 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Williams has three double-doubles this season, including a pair in America East play against UAlbany.
NOTHING BUT NET
- As of Tuesday, March 3, UMBC ranks 191st 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.
- UMBC recently defeated 87th-ranked Vermont, the program's first Quadrant 3 win of the season and second win over a top-100 opponent.
- NJIT enters the week ranked 178th in the NET. The Highlanders are 0-3 against Quad 1-3 competition.
- UMBC in the Comprehensive WBB Rankings - NET - 194 | Massey - 255 | KPI - 168
RECORD REPORT
The 2025-26 season has seen a number of Retrievers etch their names into UMBC history. The following is a list of current Retrievers and their ranks in the UMBC Record Books.
CAREER
Jade Tillman - 2nd in FT % - 86.2
Carmen Yanez - 12th in Ast - 268
SEASON
Jade Tillman - 20th in Points - 423, T7th in Free Throws - 112, 3rd in FT % - 86.2
Delaney Yarborough - 6th in FG % - 52.5
SENIOR
Carmen Yanez - 8th in Ast - 112
JUNIOR
Jade Tillman - 9th in Points - 423, 6th in PPG - 15.1, T8th in Steals - 54, 5th in Free Throws - 112
FRESHMAN
Heidi Williams - 8th in Points - 283, 4th in Steals - 54, 9th in Field Goals - 112
Kennedy Austin - 10th in Free Throws - 68
PLAYOFF BASKETBALL!
- UMBC last hosted an America East Quarterfinal game on March 1, 2023, defeating NJIT 82-71. Thursday's game will be just the second home game for UMBC in the AE Playoffs since the league switched back to the home game model based on seed.
- UMBC has claimed one America East Regular Season Title in program history (2010-11) and one America East Tournament Title (2006-07).
- In America East postseason play, the Retrievers hold an all-time record of 9-19 while NJIT is 1-5.
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.
