UMBC Sports Blog

Probable Starters:

UMBC (3-2):
F- Meghan Colabella (8.6ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.0spg)
F- Erin Brown (5.6ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.0apg)
G- Michelle Kurowski (13.2ppg, 5.0rpg, 39% 3-pt%)
G- Carlee Cassidy (23.6ppg, 1.6apg, 1.4spg)
G- Michelle Brokans (2.0ppg, 3.0apg, 2.2spg)

UMES (0-3):
F- Jasmine Speed (4.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 0.3apg)
F- Josephine McLane (3.0ppg, 0.6rpg, 0.6spg)
G- Amber Cook (3.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.0spg)
G- Casey Morton (7.3ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.0spg)
G- Tiffany Reid (3.0ppg, 4.3rpg, 3.0apg)

With April McBride seemily injured UMES doesn’t look to be much of a contender- but they are a distant instate rival and will be ready. I don’t expect UMBC to lose. I actually expect Katie Brooks to have another amazing outing off the bench and Cassidy to get her six straight 20+ perfomance game. Not muc to talk about expect it’s their second game in two day and is their second tournament this season which will prepare them for the conference tournament.

Katie Brooks has been a monster coming of the bench. She scored 23 points today to help lead UMBC to an 81-69 win. But they dind’t keep Carlee Cassidy out either. She scored 21 for her fifth straight 20+ performance to open the season. Michelle Kurowski also had a fine game scoring 14 with 7 rebounds and Meghan Colabella had a great day in the paint getting 12 points with nine rebounds. The win was expected but done in an impressive fashion. They causes 21 turnovers on defense and shot 81.5% from the line and 49% from the floor.

Free Throws and Defense are the keys to winning basketball, and UMBC is proving it. In games they ahve won they hae shot 80% from the line, in losses just 55%. Well today they shot 90% from the line, causes 5 shot clock violations, and 13 turnovers.

UMBC erased a seven point deficite in the second half with a 10-0 run over a nine minute span to get a lead that held for the rest of the game.

Even thought the offense struggled a bit four guys scored in double figures. Darryl Proctor (14 points 8 rebounds), Jay Greene (14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds), Chauncey Gilliam off the bench (11 points), and Richard Flemming (10 points including an amazing alley-opp that sparked UMBC in the second half).

As expected Tyrone Kent tore it up for Toledo, 19 points, but Matt Spadafora shut him down in the second half allowing just 2 points (free throws) in the final nine minutes.

Speeking of Matt Spadafora he went up for a layup with 3 minutes left and got elbowed in the eye. He has to get sticked above and below and he hit his head on the court and the way e fell I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a concussion. Which worries me not only because we are missing Matt Spadafora but i gaurentee he’ll be out at least two games and with the six man rotation we run and Frank McKnight leaving we’re thin. Gilliam is probably going to start but somebody has to come of the bench. Brett burrier has been getting a few minutes dispite being a walk-on. My guess is Bakari Smith will get time.

Probable Starters:

UMBC (2-2):
F- Meghan Colabella (7.8ppg, 5.3rpg, 1.0bpg)
F- Erin Brown (5.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 0.8spg)
G- Michelle Kurowski (13.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.8spg)
G- Carlee Cassidy (24.3ppg, 1.5apg, 1.3spg)
G- Michele Brokans (1.8ppg, 3.3apg, 2.3spg)

Western Michigan (0-3):
F- Brenna Bankton (14.3ppg, 4.7rpg, 63% 3-pt%)
F- Miame Giden (15.7ppg, 5.3rpg, 0.7spg)
F- Ebony Cleary (6.0ppg, 7.7rpg, 33% 3-pt%)
G- Tiera Delahoussaye (11.3ppg, 3.3apg, 2.8spg)
G- Molly Dwyer (3.7ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.0spg)

One note for UMBC is we have Katie Brooks coming off the bench and she scored 43 points last weekend. Western Kentucky is not a great defensive team. They have been outscored 81-61 on average this season while UMBC has outscored opponents on average 75-72. It can be interesting because Western michigan is a good three point shooting team but I see good thinks for Stern and his run’n'gun offense.

Probable Starters:

UMBC (3-2):
C- Justin Fry (7.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.2bpg)
F- Richard Flemming (11.2ppg, 6.0rpg, 53.1 fg%)
F- Darryl Proctor (19.4ppg, 9.0rpg, 2.2apg)
G- Matt Spadafora (10.2ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.6apg)
G- Jay Greene (14.2ppg, 4.8rpg, 7.8apg)

Toledo (1-4):
C- Justin Anyjong (8.6ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.0bpg)
F- Emeka Okafor Jr. (7.9ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.2apg)
G- F- Tyrone Kent (18.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.0apg)
G- Anthony Byrd (7.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.6apg)
G- Ridley Johnson (5.2ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.2apg)

This game shoud be an interesting one and closer than poeple think. Now I do think UMBC will win but Toledo is apart of the MAC conference which is a historically very strong mid-major conference. But this year they are doewn a little and Toledo in’t having the best start. The key for UMBC is hit free throws. In the two games they didn’t hit them well (Morgan State and George Washington) they lost but when they did hit them the won. Sometimes the game is that simple. It’s UMBC’s second game in the RAC this year and last year is was packed, the opener was packed, I expect the arena to be packed again, which really helps UMBC. The most interesting thing we’ll see today is if Randy gets depth in. I understand to an extent why he’s been playing a six man rotation, because games have been going down to the wire and you want your best guys in. But I really want to see what guys like Bakari Smith and Jake Wasco are made of and I think both can contribute.
G- Anthony Byrd (7.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.4apg)

and the score was actually closer than that but we fouled at the end in desparation. Overall even though there are no moral victories this was a great outing for UMBC. They did lose, and the down fall was like I said, rebounding (outrebounded 39-29) and free throw shooting, (onlt shot 50%). The fundamentals are key and it causes the loss. But UMBC still had a great outting. With 2 minutes lef tin the game and UMBC down four, George Washington turned the ball over three straight times cutting the clock to 2. They fouled after hoping for a miss and the guy did, but the GW player tipped the ball in for to points and the sealed win.

In the game Justin Fry dominaed the first half. He had 12 points in the game, all in the first. But when the second came along he picked up his fourth foul one minute in and he had to go on the bench, which made his a cold player later one. The game though was dominted by none other than—Jay Greene and Darryl Proctor. Greene knocked down 11 points with 9 assists and four rebounds while Proctor scored 17 with 9 rebounds. Richard Flemming had a good outing scoring 11 points for the fourth time in as many games, and 5 rebounds.

Like I said, it’s not a bad loss. It goes on the record but george Washington is a very tough team and it came down to the wire.

LINK

This came as a big shock to me but after thinking about it, it makes sense. Frank McKnight was a guy I was high on. I think he improved his three point shooting a lot but he knew he wasn’t going to get the playing time he deserved. He’s behind Jay Greene at point guard and with Chris De La Rosa being an imcoming transfer who is likely going to take over at the point next year, he decided to move on and find a new college. It makes sense because he thought he was going to start his junior year but he wants to play and with De La Rosa transfering in he’s moving on.

As for Rodney Adkins, what he’s doing is very respectable, not that what McKnight is doing isn’t. Much like what Tyler Massey, Askins was a walk on who won a championship, isn’t going to get much playing time the rest of the time at UMBC, and is going to focus on academics.

Probable Starters:

UMBC (3-1):
C- Justin Fry (6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
F- Richard Flemming (11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 spg)
F- Darryl Proctor (20.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 apg)
G- Matt Spadafora (11.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
G- Jay Greene (15.0 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.0 rpg)

George Washington (2-1):
F- Rob Diggs (11.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.7 bpg)
F- Wynton Witherspoon (6.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg)
F- Damian Hillis (12.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg)
G- Xavier Alexander (4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G- Tony Taylor (9.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 rpg)

UMBC is off to a pretty good start but George Washington is one of the tougher games on the non-conference schedule. If UMBC wants to win the game they have to win on the boards hit free throws. When they hit free throws they win, but when they don’t like against Morgan State they lose. Winning this game isn’t out of the question but will severly test UMBC. George Washington is a few years removed from that nine seed in the tournament but are a solid Atlantic 10 team. Last year UMBC went 3-0 against Atlantic-10 teams. The question for this game is depth. Frank McKnight should be making the trip but one must wonder how long Darryl Proctor, Justin Fry, and Richard Flemming can play without getting much of a breather. The only real depth seem is Chauncey Gilliiam. Jake Wasco and Bakari Smith must step up with Frank McKnight if UMBC wants to be an equally as good team as last year.

Hoepfully it’s the first of many, but Katie Brooks absolutely dominated on the court this week averaging 17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 3.3 apg in the Seton Hall Classic and against George Mason. the team went 2-1 in those three games and she had a career high 28 points and seven rebounds against Northern Illinois in the first round of the weekend tournament

I get leway on this one because the swimming results weren’t posted until today and I needed to know them. Anyway, overall it was a good week for UMBC.

Volleyball did lose a heartbreaker to Binghamton in the Semi-finals in a five game set match, but Alyssa Lang was named Rookie of the year, second team all conference, and all rookie team honoree. Bridget Scheetz joined her on the second team and Allie Spaay joined her on the All-rookie team. Basically the future is extrenmely bright for UMBC wit those being freshmen and sophomores.

Swimming and Diving had great weeks, showing the dominance in a good competition. the men’s three-peat and the women’s win were both impressive. Justin Bronson and Tereza Kaplanova shined for UMBC.

Women’s Basketball lost in the finals of their invitational tournament but it was to Seton Hall. Carlee Cassidy shined as expected but Katie brooks stepped up and dominated the weekend earning a spot with Cassidy on the all tournament team.

Men’s Basketball Had the best week winning the Tyler Ugolyn Columbia Classic. Jay Greene won MVP, and Darryl Proctor and Richard Flemming joined him on the all tournament team. Two impressive wins showing two different sides to UMBC in two days.