UMBC

Durham, N.H.—Despite junior guard Brian Hodges’ 20^th game in double figures this season, the UMBC men’s basketball team dropped the regular season finale, 64-51 to host New Hampshire. UMBC, however, ends the season with its best America East Conference record of 7-9 (11-18 overall) and ended up tied with Maine for fourth place in the standings. The fifth-seeded Retrievers will meet the fourth-seeded Black Bears in the 2:30 p.m. quarter-final game of next weekend’s America East Tournament in Boston, Mass.

Hodges scored 14 first half points as UMBC built a pair of seven-point leads, the latest at 27-20 with 3:34 remaining in the half. But three different Wildcats hit three-point field goals and UNH closed the first half on a 12-2 run to lead 32-29 at the break.

Senior forward Mike Housman got the Retrievers to within 34-33 on a short jumper at the 17:45 mark of the second half, but the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to build the lead to 43-33 with 14:20 remaining. UMBC managed only three field goals in the final 11:31 of the game and never managed to put forth a late rally.

Hodges finished with 20 points, hitting nine of 17 from the floor. Housman was the only other Retriever in double figures as he scored ten points and added seven rebounds. UMBC hit just 18 of 50 shots from the floor (36 percent) and were badly outrebounded, 39-24.

UNH seniors Jermaine Anderson (24 pts.) and Blagoj Janev (23 pts.) scored 47 of the Wildcats’ 64 points. UMBC dropped its final six road games of the season.

The Retrievers split two games with Maine this season, losing 70-57 in Orono in January and winning the rematch, 80-77 this past Thursday in Baltimore. UMBC had played in the first round of the tournament in its three previous America East seasons and has a tournament record of 2-3.