Forward Cavell Johnson said UMBC was glad to have a week off, even if it interrupted a stretch in which the Retrievers have been playing their best basketball of the season.
“We feel like we?re on top of the world right now,” he said of the team?s five-game winning streak. “But we still have a lot to do.”
And it begins Sunday afternoon at 4, when the Retrievers (17-7, 9-2 America East) host Boston University (10-14, 7-5) at RAC Arena, trying to maintain their hold on first place in the league over Hartford (14-13, 8-4) and defending champion Albany (13-12, 8-5) with five games remaining.
It is UMBC?s first game since it defeated Binghamton, 63-59, to conclude a grueling stretch in which it played four games in 10 days. But the break came at an opportune time. The Retrievers got to rest, especially injured leading scorer Brian Hodges (16.5 ppg), before making the final push for their first conference title.
Hodges, a senior guard who sprained his ankle midway through the second half of a victory over Albany on Jan. 30, has missed the past three games and is questionable for Sunday?s game. If he can?t play, UMBC coach Randy Monroe said he?ll likely turn to reserve freshman guard Frankie McKnight.
“It says a lot about the character of this team the way they have played since Brian was injured,” Monroe said. “It?s been a tough stretch for us, but different players have found a way to make plays when we?ve needed them.”
Most recently, that player has been Johnson. The 6-foot-8 senior transfer from James Madison finished with 13 points, including a key layup with 1:24 to give UMBC a 61-59 lead it would not relinquish against Binghamton last week.
Johnson said playing without Hodges has not been easy, especially since the Retrievers have been forced to use a six-man rotation in Hodges? absence.
But Johnson also acknowledged the experience of persevering without Hodges will make UMBC a stronger team when he returns.
“We?ll only be better when he comes back,” Johnson said. “He?s been here four years and knows what it takes to win.”
Monroe said his players have talked about winning their first America East Tournament, which begins March 7, and advancing to the NCAA Tournament ? a place the Catonsville school has never been. Still, Monroe is adamant to his players about not taking any game lightly, especially not against Boston University. The Terriers, the preseason conference favorite, has won five straight, including a 59-58 win at Vermont on Thursday. UMBC won the last meeting between the two schools, 62-40, onJan. 22.
“Right now, no game is more important than any other because they are all important,” Monroe said. “This is the month you have to be playing your best basketball of the year in order to position yourself for the tournament.”
