UMBC

Harris ranks 11th in the nation in steals per game this season (3.65)

BALTIMORE – UMBC women’s basketball looks to bounce back from a tough three-game road trip when it returns to the RAC Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 23 to host Stony Brook in the eighth annual Midday Madness. Tip is set for noon and will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with Leah Secondo and LaChina Robinson calling the action.

scouting the retrievers (5-13, 1-4 AE): UMBC returns from a rough road trip in which it dropped three straight games by an average of 3.7 points per game. In their latest contest, the Retrievers held a six point lead with 7:22 to go against Hartford on Wednesday, but UMBC finished the game 2-for-11 from the field and was outscored 20-7, falling 51-44.  Senior guard Brittany Crowell scored 17 of her game-high 18 points in the second half for the Retrievers, while junior center Dana Lewis added her first-career double-double, with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Crowell is averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game in America East play, and a team-best 11.5 points per contest on the season. Senior Raven Harris scored double-digit points in her fifth straight game and has dished out eight assists in each of the last two games. The guard has stepped up her play during conference action, scoring 13.2 points per game, to go along with 5.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a league-best 3.2 steals per game - her 3.56 steals per game ranks 11th in Division I. Sophomore guard Bria White is chipping in 10.8 points per game in her first season with the Retrievers.

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 seawolves (11-7, 3-2 AE): Stony Brook has won three of its last four games since dropping its America East opener to Boston University on Jan. 2. The Seawolves picked up their 11th victory of the season on Saturday against Vermont, the most wins in a season for SBU since the 2006-07 campaign. Stony Brook had four players finish in double-figure points in the 68-53 victory over the Catamounts. Freshman forward Brittany Snow and sophomore forward Sabre Proctor each netted 16 points and added five rebounds in the win.

Proctor is playing 22 minutes off the bench and leads the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game. Senior forward Jessica Previlon is contributing 9.3 points per game on the year and is pulling down a team-best 8.8 rebounds a contest - ranking second in the America East in rebounding. Junior guard Chikilra Goodman is chipping in 9.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Inside the Series: UMBC has won five straight to even up the all-time series against Stony Brook at 10. In game one last season, the Seawolves and the Retrievers were tied 24 apiece at the break, before the black and gold exploded in the second half, outscoring SBU 49-23, for the 73-47 victory. In the second matchup of the season, UMBC again relied on a strong second period, as the Retrievers' seniors each scored in double-digit points in the 63-51 triumph.

On the horizon for the retrievers: UMBC continues its three game homestand when it hosts Boston University on Saturday, Jan. 26, followed by a matchup with Binghamton on Jan. 30 to close out the month. The Retrievers start the second half of their conference schedule with a trip to Maine on Feb. 2 and a stop at Albany - the site of the America East Tournament - on Feb. 6.