A sweet start to its America East Conference schedule turned sour fast for the University of Maryland-Baltimore County men?s basketball team.
UMBC (6-12, 2-3) looks to snap a three-game losing skid tonight when the Retrievers host conference rival Hartford (9-8, 3-2). Tonight?s home game comes two days after UMBC allowed host Maine to make 10 of 19 three-point shots attempts en route to a 70-56 victory. The road loss preceded a pair of home losses last week to defending league champion Albany, 65-61, and to perennial league power Vermont, 83-63.
UMBC enters tonight?s game sixth in the nine-team America East standings, with Hartford in fourth place.
“Winning basketball games, whether at home or on the road, is about having the right mindset,” UMBC coach Randy Monroe said. “We had a rough week, but we could be 0-4 in the league ifwe don?t play well on the road.”
A trip home may not be what UMBC needs, though. The team is 5-7 away from the RAC Arena while winning just once at home this season. Last year, the Retrievers won just once on the road. Tuesday?s loss at Maine prevented the Retrievers from compiling their first three-game conference road winning since joining the America East four years ago.
Against Maine, junior guard Brian Hodges continued his hot shooting by scoring 26 points. Sophomore guard Tom Young also had a solid game, scoring in double figures for the fifth straight game with 13 points.
Young, who scored a career-high 23 points in the loss to Vermont, is averaging 14.6 points a game against America East opposition. He currently has a .517 field-goal percentage.
