President Dr. Freeman Hrbowski, Athletic Director Dr. Charles Brown, the pep band and team at the March 16 "Send Off" celebration

TICKETS: A limited number of tickets for UMBC's women’s basketball game vs. top-seeded Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 20, in Hartford, Conn., are available through the UMBC Athletic Ticket Office. These discounted $25 tickets for the game are available until Friday or when they are sold out. Please contact Joe Sisler at 410-455-2205.

FREE BUS: UMBC Athletics and the University Commons will co-sponsor a bus to Hartford, Connecticut for the game. The bus will depart from in front of the RAC at 11 a.m. on Sunday and return after the game. The bus is free, but YOU MUST PURCHASE A GAME TICKET IN ADVANCE to get on board. Tickets are available for $25 from the UMBC Athletic Ticket Office until 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

PEP RALLY SENDOFF: If you can't make it to Hartford, come wish the Retrievers luck as they leave for Hartford on Friday at 12 p.m. in front of the RAC.

MEDIA DAY: The Retrievers met with members of the media on Saturday. Click here for complete quotes from the team's press conference. Below are excerpts:

Head Coach Phil Stern

“Well first of all, we are thrilled to be here. Our young ladies played three great games last week to get us here. We are excited to be playing here in Hartford, we know this area well. We are excited to be playing against UConn and I think in women’s basketball there is no better environment to play than in front of UConn and their fans. Obviously Coach (Geno) Auriemma is one of the best. This is an exciting time for our program and our university. We’ve been through a lot to get here, we had a conference change that set us back a little bit. So the reward last weekend was a little sweeter."

“I’m especially proud of our players, especially our seniors who were recruited for the Northeast Conference and put into a tough situation their freshman year and had to play a lot of minutes in the America East Conference and we were not ready for that at that point. They persevered, as far as I’m concern when that final buzzer went off a lot of thoughts went through my head, including making $6,000 my first year coaching at a Division II school, sure I’ve come a long way, but more importantly our players have come a very long way.”

Senior Guard Brittnie Hughes

On winning the America East

“It’s unexplainable.  I’ve been on Cloud Nine ever since that night.  It was almost like a dream come true for me and the team as well.  It was just unexplainable.  We came from a long way and just stuck together.  We had a long road to get here and it was worth it.”

Senior Forward Sharri Rohde

On winning the America East

“It was a crazy moment.  I knew once Hartford’s shot went up, I was just like no!  It felt like a really long time, but once it missed and the buzzer went off I got pretty emotional, hit my knees, and started crying until the whole dog pile came.  Everybody jumped in on our team and was flipping over.  It was a great moment, a feeling I never felt before and will never forget.”

Click here for photos from Saturday's open practice session at the Hartford Civic Center.

Check out these features on the Retrievers:

UMBC Catches Hartford By Surprise in America East Finals, ESPN.com - March 11
UMBC Stuns Hartford for NCAA Berth, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin - March 12

UMBC Shocks Top-Seeded Hartford, Baltimore Sun - March 12

UMBC Upsets Way to NCAAs, Baltimore Examiner - March 12

UMBC to Face Powerhouse UConn, Baltimore Sun - March 13

March Magic, Baltimore Sun - March 13

Getting to Know UMBC, Hartford Courant - March 13

Unexpected Gift, Hartford Courant - March 14
UMBC Excited for UConn Matchup, Bristol Press - March 14
UConn Knows Little of UMBC, Norwich Bulletin - March 14
A Rude Welcome Awaits UMBC at NCAA, Baltimore Examiner - March 14
Maryland Women Ready for Tournament Play, Washington Jewish Week - March 14
UMBC Blazes New Path Into Tournament, Danbury News-Times - March 15
UMBC's Score-a-Long Cassidy, Baltimore Examiner - March 15
Connecticut Next for History-Making UMBC Women, Catonsville Times - March 15
Here's to You, Ms. Robinson, Baltimore Examiner - March 16
For UMBC, Two Rebuilding Jobs, Washington Post - March 16
UMBC Thrilled to Make Tourney, Waterbury Republican-American - March 16
UMBC Just Glad to Go for the Ride, Journal Inquirer - March 16
Inspiration Rises from the Ruins, Baltimore Sun - March 17
Putting on the Slipper, Baltimore Examiner - March 17
So Close, But Yet So Far, Baltimore Examiner - March 17
March Madness about More than Just the Champions, Baltimore Examiner - March 17
Maryland, UMBC Get Sidetracked, Hartford Courant - March 17
3 UMBC Seniors: From 4-24 to NCAA, Baltimore Sun - March 18
Sports Blog, Newsday - March 18
Stern Approach Benefits UMBC, Hartford Courant - March 18
Huskies Overcome Layoff, Cruise to 14th Straight First-Round Win, ESPN.com - March 18
UMBC's Morgan Hatten Never Stops Giving Back, Double-A Zone - March 19
UConn Romps Past UMBC, Baltimore Sun - March 19
UConn Makes Quick Work of UMBC in NCAAs, Baltimore Examiner - March 19
Loss Won't Diminish Accomplishments, Baltimore Examiner - March 20