UMBC

Brittnie Hughes was one of four Retrievers to tally double figures last year in UMBC's home win over Albany.

Baltimore, Md. – UMBC hosts Mid-Day Madness at RAC Arena on Thursday as the Retrievers take on Albany at 12 p.m.  UMBC will be welcoming nearly 800 elementary and middle school students while inviting all students and campus faculty and staff to have lunch while watching the Retrievers and Great Danes afternoon tilt.  Fans may also follow the action at www.umbcretrievers.com with live audio or livestats.  Links to both are available inside the full story or on the women’s basketball schedule page. 

RETRIEVER UPDATE:   UMBC is looking to come out of a five-game slide as they return home for the first time since Jan. 7.  The Retrievers in their last outing dropped a 73-56 decision to Maine.  UMBC jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but foul trouble to Matea Pender and Sharri Rohde helped the Black Bears take a 10-point lead at the half as the Retrievers never fully recovered in the losing effort.  Brittnie Hughes broke out of a slump in the game, scoring 13 points to lead all Retrievers.  Sharri Rohde tallied 11 points while Amanda Robinson scored 10.  Matea Pender was held to just two points but managed to lead the team on the boards with five rebounds.  On the season Pender leads UMBC with 14.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg.  Hughes ranks second with 10.3 ppg followed by Robinson at 10.1 ppg. 

GREAT DANE UPDATE: Albany ranks just ahead of UMBC in the league standings with a 1-4 mark in conference play.  The Great Danes only win came on Jan. 21 with a 62-58 home victory over New Hampshire.  The Great Danes have a tough week with three games in six days on the road.  The Great Danes started that stretch last Tuesday in a 69-52 loss at Boston U.  Albany is led by Tamika Thrower at 12.5 ppg and Jen Schumacher at 10.3 ppg.     

Who’s Up Next:  UMBC hits the road for a match with Stony Brook on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.        

RETRIEVER GAMEDAY

Game Notes:  UMBC against Albany is the Retrievers 17th game of the season, sixth in the America East Conference and sixth at home.   The game marks the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs with Albany holding a 3-1 all-time advantage.  UMBC is looking to make its way out of the conference cellar as Albany sits just ahead of UMBC with a 1-4 league mark.  The Retrievers are hosting Mid-Day Madness at the RAC on Thursday, with approximately 800 elementary and middle school students attending the game as part of a field trip to UMBC.  The Retrievers are expecting one of the largest crowds in women’s basketball history to enter the RAC as two of the leagues top three-point shooters go head-to-head.  Albany’s Jen Schumacher in 16 games this season has fired up 99 three-point attempts, averaging 2.00 per game.  UMBC’s Matea Pender ranks 21st in the nation at 44.9 percent from three-point range, averaging 2.19 treys per game.                 

RETRIEVER QUICK SHOTS

- The Retrievers shooting woes as of late continued against Maine as the Retrievers shot under 40.0 percent from the field for the third time in the last four games.  UMBC was 5-for-18 from the three-point arc, a normal strength for the UMBC offense.  Matea Pender was held to two points, her lowest output of the season.  Brittnie Hughes produced some positive light as the junior point guard broke out of a 4-for-30 slump, going 6-of-15 from the field for 13 points in the game.  Hughes added six assists and a career high seven rebounds as well. 

- Senior Matea Pender is looking to break out for the Retrievers after scoring season low points the last three games.  Pender, whose only non-double digit performance prior to the last three games, was a nine point performance against Longwood, has scored six, eight and two points in the last three games for UMBC.  Pender, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, did record a season-high eight boards against Maine last time out.  Pender has double figures in 12 of the Retrievers’ 16 games this season.  She has recorded 20-plus points four times this season, including a season-high 24 points against Boston U.   Pender for her career has 40 career double figure games.

- Senior Matea Pender, who last year led the nation in three-point field goal percentage for the majority of the year and finished the year third in the country at 48.3 percent, ranks 21st in the nation as of games through Jan. 23, 2006.  Pender currently is averaging 44.9 percent from outside the arc, making 35-of-78 three-point field goals. 

- UMBC in the last released NCAA statistics as of games through Jan. 23, 2006, ranked 9th in the nation with 17.8 apg.   The NCAA Statistics are released every Tuesday afternoon. 

- UMBC against Albany is the Retrievers first game at home since Jan. 7 and the third since playing at home on Dec. 10.  UMBC’s schedule has the Retrievers playing four of the first five league games on the road and five for the first seven away from home.  During UMBC first four road conference games, the Retrievers have traveled approximately 3,286 miles, reaching the three farthest programs in the first three weeks of league play.  UMBC between Dec. 10 and Jan. 25 will have played eight games away from home, compared to one home game.   

News and Notes...

Strong Conference Start...America East women’s basketball teams are a combined 57-40 (.588) in the 2005-06 non-conference season. As a conference, America East currently ranks 12th in the nation in The Collegiate Basketball News Women’s RPI Report, but more importantly, is fourth among I-AA conferences. Only the Colonial (eighth), Atlantic 10 (10th) and Missouri Valley (11th) are higher ranking I-AA leagues. America East has never finished 12th in the final RPI for a season and only once has it finished fourth among I-AA Conferences (2001-02). America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100. Due in large part to the Seawolves win over ranked Temple, Stony Brook leads the conference teams with an RPI of 29, followed by Hartford (40) and Boston University (86).

Lending a helping hand...UMBC leads the America East Conference for the second consecutive season in assists per game and ranks ninth in the NCAA Statistics through games Jan. 23, 2006.  The Retrievers to date have recorded 17.4 apg.  UMBC has six games with 20-plus assists this season, including 26 against Fairleigh Dickinson as the Retrievers came one assist away from their single-season mark of 27, set in 1985 against Shippensburg.  Brittnie Hughes dished out a career-high 10 assists against Lafayette and is averaging 4.9 apg through 16 games this season.  The junior point guard has 78 assists on the year.

Pender Reaches All-Time Top-20 Scoring Chart...Senior Matea Pender joined UMBC’s all-time top-20 chart for points scored after recording 13 points against IPFW.  Pender currently has 844 career points, 16th all-time.  The last time UMBC had an active member on the top-20 scoring list was during the 2002-03 season.  Pender is currently on pace to reach 1,000 career points and become the 15th Retriever to ever break the 1,000 point plateau. 

Pender Becomes Fifth Retriever To Reach 100 Treys For Her Career...Senior Matea Pender recorded five treys against Drexel to become the fifth player in UMBC history to reach 100 career three-point baskets.  Pender needs 10 treys to reach fourth on UMBC’s all-time three-point baskets made chart. 

Rohde Perfect Day From The Field...Junior Sharri Rohde was a force inside against Hartford, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field Rohde scored 14 points, mostly on inside post moves for layups or short jumpers.  UMBC’s single-game record for field goal percentage is 100 percent on 10-of-10 shooting by Monica Logan.  That record was set on January 4, 1997 against Niagara. 

Rohde’s Start Streak...Junior Sharri Rohde extended her streak to 72 consecutive starts and has not missed a start in her entire collegiate career, starting all 28 games as a freshman and sophomore and every one this year.

Rohde Moving Up Assists and Blocks All-Time Charts...Junior Sharri Rohde, who is UMBC’s active leader in assists, blocks and steals, is moving up the Retrievers all-time charts in the assist and blocks category.  Rohde currently has 199 career assists, 11th all-time and 56 career blocks, ranking 11th all-time. 

Hughes Joins All-Time Assists Chart...Junior Brittnie Hughes recorded three assists against Boston U. to joining UMBC’s all-time top-15 for career assists.  The Retriever point guard currently has 179 career assists, ranking tied for 14th all-time. 

UMBC Featured on AE TV...The second installment of "America East On Campus" showcased a feature on the UMBC women's basketball team.  The second show debuted on New England Sports Network (NESN) January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in a 30-minute window between two Atlantic Coast Conference basketball games, followed by a broadcast on Cox Sports Television at 9 p.m. NESN re-aired the show on January 17 at 6:30 p.m. and again on January 29 at 2:30 p.m. Time Warner Cable in Albany and Time Warner Cable in Binghamton will also broadcast the show in the month January with programming times and dates to be announced.  Please check America East's online schedule for the latest programming information. A streaming video will also be available through the internet via America East All Access, provided by CSTV.

Indiana Trio Make Most Of Trip To Hoosier State...UMBC’s Indiana girls put on a show in front of some family and friends against IPFW and Butler.  The Indiana trio combined for 31 points against IPFW.  Kristin Drabyn scored a career-high 14 points, all in the second half.  Sharri Rohde tallied 10 points while Heather Luttrell dropped seven points in the game.  The trio shot a combined 63.1 percent from the field, making 12-of-19 shots.  Against Butler, Rohde tallied a career-high 11 rebounds while Drabyn finished with her second double-digit performance, scoring 10 points. 

Hughes Earns America East Conference Co-Player of the Week (12-4-05)...Brittnie Hughes was named America East Conference Co-Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 4, 2005.  Hughes led UMBC to back-to-back wins as the junior point guard averaged 18.0 ppg and 6.5 apg in two contests. Hughes opened the week at American, scoring a career-high 19 points with nine assists and a 9-of-9 performance at the free throw line.

Hughes Named To Second All-Tournament Team...When it comes to tournaments, UMBC junior point guard Brittnie Hughes has stepped up to the challenge, earning a spot on both all-tournament teams this season.  Hughes won a spot on the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament team after leading the Retrievers to the title.  At South Florida, Hughes averaged 15.5 ppg and 4.25 apg to lead the Retrievers to a 1-1 mark.  Last year Hughes was named to the 2004 Retriever Tip-Off Tournament team.   

Hitting the Airwaves...UMBC will hit the airwaves with six games broadcasted live on WLG-1370 AM, all home games and some away games via www.umbcretrievers.com and a televised game against Vermont on Feb. 12 at RAC Arena.  All WLG broadcast games will also run live via the website for fans outside the broadcasting network.  UMBC will also broadcast live stats via the web for all home games at RAC Arena.

Block Party...Amanda Robinson’s six blocks against Morgan State tied Eunice French for the most blocks recorded in a single game by a Retriever.  Robinson had three blocks in the first five minutes against Morgan State.  UMBC as a team blocked nine shots against Morgan State, Robinson’s six, Nicole Dixon recording two and Mackenzie Butler one. 

Pender Named MVP Of Retriever Tip-Off Tournament....Senior Matea Pender was named Retriever Tip-Off Tournament Most Valuable Player after averaging 14.5 ppg in the two games.  Pender shot .500 from outside the arc, making 5-for-10 while shooting 47.6 percent from the field on 10-of-21.  Pender added 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the two-day event. 

UMBC Captures Tip-Off Tournament Title...UMBC for the first time in the three-year history of the Retriever Tip-Off Tournament captured the title, defeating Morgan State, 72-50, in the opening round to advance the championship game against Fairleigh Dickinson.  UMBC went on to beat FDU, 76-58, to win the title as Matea Pender earned tournament most valuable player honors and Brittnie Hughes made the all-tournament team.   

Retrievers Picked Ninth In Preseason Conference Poll...The UMBC women’s basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the America East Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.  Hartford was the league’s pick to win the conference after taking the league tournament title last year.  Boston U. and Maine were selected to tie for second. 

America East Tournament Returns To Hartford...For the third consecutive season the America East Conference Championships will return to Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on the campus of the University of Hartford.  Hartford has hosted the conference tournament the past two seasons, including winning the league tournament last season.   

International Students...UMBC has developed a reputation for having international students on its roster, including two in 2005-06.  UMBC has graduated two international students the last two years and will graduate senior Matea Pender at the conclusion of the upcoming season. 

UMBC Inks Two for 2006-07...UMBC head women’s basketball coach Phil Stern announced the signings of two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend UMBC for the 2006-07 academic year.  Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) and Leanne Crockett (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) are both slated to become freshman at UMBC in the fall of 2006.