The Retrievers’ March Madness journey continues as UMBC men’s basketball now advances to the America East title game, set for Saturday, March 10, at 11 a.m. against the #1 seed, rival University of Vermont.
The championship game marks UMBC’s first title appearance since 2009. It follows the Retrievers’ 75-60 home victory over Hartford on March 6—UMBC’s fourth win in a row.
Senior guard K.J. Maura ‘18, sociology, led the charge to the win over Hartford with 18 points. Jairus Lyles ‘17, sociology, M.A. ‘18, education, and Arkel Lamar ‘20, sociology, each contributed 13 points. Guard Jourdan Grant ‘18, media and communication studies, and forward Joe Sherburne ‘19, financial economics, added 11 points each.
This year’s remarkable UMBC men’s basketball team boasts what the Baltimore Sun has called “an offense that can move the ball as if it were from an instructional video.” The team has also focused substantially on defense this season, with Maura being named America East Defensive Player of the Year and Coach Ryan Odom telling the Sun, “Our defense has taken a huge jump, without a doubt.”
UMBC is now just one win shy of the university’s Division 1 record of 24 wins, achieved in the 2007-08 season.
The upcoming title game will be held in the Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont. Retriever fans can also tune in on ESPN2 and attend a watch party in the UMBC Sports Zone (The Commons, second floor), starting at 10:30 a.m. The league champion crowned on Saturday will earn automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
See more Retrievers coverage from UMBC Magazine and UMBC Athletics.
Image: UMBC men’s basketball plays in the opening game in the UMBC Event Center, spring 2018. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.
Tags: Athletics
