UMBC

BALTIMORE – UMBC women’s basketball looks to avenge January’s three-point loss to Vermont on Saturday, Feb. 9, as the Retrievers open a UMBC-Vermont doubleheader at 1 p.m. inside the RAC Arena. Discount tickets for the game are available on www.wnst.net. All the action can be seen live at UMBCRetrievers.tv and heard at Q1370/www.q1370.com. Troy Green and Dan Levin have the call.

scouting the retrievers (7-16, 3-7 AE): UMBC dropped its third contest in the last four games on Wednesday, as Albany had five players score in double-digits in a 85-41 victory at SEFCU Arena. Freshman forward Shareesha Richards piloted the win with a game-high 22 points, while sophomore center Megan Craig added 19 points. UMBC, who shot 15.7 percent from the floor in the first half, was led by sophomore forward Ashley Lambert's nine points.

Senior guards Raven Harris and Brittany Crowell each ended their double-digit scoring streaks against Albany, having scored in double-figure points in the first nine contests of league play, while Crowell had 10-plus points in eight straight games. The two rank third (Crowell) and fourth (Harris) in scoring during the conference slate at 15.0 and 14.9 points per game respectively. Harris is adding 4.8 assists and 3.0 steals in America East games - her 3.55 steals per game on the season ranks ninth in Division I.

Head coach Phil Stern is in his 11th season at the helm of the Retrievers' program, after leading the black and gold to their second America East Championship game appearance last season. Following the graduation of 59.5 percent of the conference's highest scoring offense in 2011-12, UMBC (34 votes) was tabbed to finish sixth in the league behind Albany (61), Boston University (56), Hartford (54), New Hampshire (37) and Vermont (37).

scouting the catamounts (7-15, 4-5 AE): Vermont has lost three in a row, including Wednesday's 67-45 loss at New Hampshire. Sophomore forward Annie Wheeler matched a career-high with 14 points off the bench, but the Catamounts were unable to overcome its first half shooting of 14.8 percent.

Vermont is led by sophmore forward Niki Taylor who is averaging 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Classmate Tierra Shumpert leads the team in assists (65) and is adding 8.2 points per contest during conference play. Senior forward/center Lauren Buschmann is pulling down a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game - increasing to 6.1 rebounds per game in conference action - and is shooting 40 percent from the floor for an average of 7.5 points.

Inside the Series: Vermont snapped a four game losing streak to the Retrievers with a 63-60 victory on Jan. 12. Raven Harris did all she could to bring UMBC back from an 11-point second half deficit, but Harris and the Retrievers were unable to get off the game-tying shot off as time expired. Harris finished with a then-career-high 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. UMBC swept the Catamounts in 2011-12, grabbing a 67-58 victory in the first meeting, behind 20 points from Michelle Kurowski and 19 points from Kristin Coles. The black and gold hosted the Catamounts on Senior Day at the RAC Arena in last year's regular season finale, as four Retrievers finished in double-digits in a 72-60 win.

On the horizon for the retrievers: The Retrievers host New Hampshire in their Play4Kay game on Feb. 13 before having a bye on Feb. 16. UMBC hits the road for the following week to take on Stony Brook (Feb. 20) and Boston University (Feb. 23). The Retrievers celebrate Senior Night at the RAC Arena against Stony Brook on Feb. 27 and conclude the regular season at Binghamton on March 2 in an ESPN3 broadcast.