UMBC Men's Basketball Upsets Second-Place Maine

The UMBC men’s basketball team went on a big run to beat second-place Maine in Orono, and may have put themselves into position to make another run.

The Retrievers (5-19, 4-7 America East Conference) beat the Black Bears (14-9, 18-3) 84-79 after being down 49-35 with over 19 minutes to play in the second half.

UMBC went on an 18-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 53-51 lead. Guard Chris De La Rosa, who had 24 points and 13 assists, scored or assisted on 16 of the 18 points in that second-half run.

UMBC faces first-place Vermont (19-5, 10-2) Wednesday at RAC Arena. The Retrievers seem to be playing the Catamounts at the right time, and another win could propel the team up the standings with the conference tournament early next month.

The Retrievers outscored Maine 51-35 in the second half, shooting better than 62 percent in the process. UMBC converted 77 percent of their foul shots in the second half to ensure the victory.

Forward Justin Fry scored a career-high 20 points in the win, converting on 9 of 10 field goals.

Though shooting 90 percent from the floor isn’t likely most nights, Fry’s success is perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the team’s victory.

If Fry were to give De La Rosa a legitimate scoring option inside, the UMBC offense could suddenly add a dimension that has been essentially non-existent since the 2008-09 season.

Forwards Adrian Satchell (12 points) and Laurence Jolicoeur (11 points) also had solid games inside for UMBC.

Lacrosse Season Nearly Here

The Retrievers’ men’s lacrosse team plays its second preseason exhibition versus Drexel Saturday at UMBC Stadium, then starts the year on the road versus Presbyterian in Clinton, SC, on Feb. 19.

UMBC starts the season ranked outside the top 20 after last year’s 4-9 debacle.

But the team is only one year removed from making the NCAA Tournament, their fourth straight appearance since 2006.

A major problem for the Retrievers in 2010 was goalkeeping, as coach Don Zimmerman struggled mightily to replace All-Conference keeper Jeremy Blevins, who graduated in 2009.

But Blevins is back – as an assistant coach – and sophomore Adam Cohen and junior Brian McCullough, competing for the lion’s share of work between the pipes, should have benefitted from an extra offseason of seasoning.

Offensively, Zimmerman faces what will be a largely brand-new attack. The team’s leading returning scorer is Rob Grimm (16 goals, 11 assists).

Accolades For UMBC’s Kurowski

Retrievers women’s basketball player Michelle Kurowski was named to the Capital One Academic All-District II University Division First Team, a UMBC statement said.

Kurowski is still leading the conference in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game. In the classroom, she has a 3.82 Grade Point Average. She’s the first women’s basketball player at UMBC to earn All-District recognition since 1988.

The Academic All-District II teams in the university division consist of five players from Division I schools in Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.