Albany

COLLEGE PARK - Alex Len slowed as he approached the foul line and did a little hop. Then the 7-footer did a cartwheel, steadied himself, and caught a lob pass from a teammate that he rammed home for a dunk. The theatrics at Maryland Madness revealed something about Len, the untested but promising center who is set to make his regular-season debut Wednesday night against Albany for a Maryland team eager for the size and depth he can provide. Len, who has been practicing with the team, missed the first 10 games of the season as a penalty for having previously signed with a club overseas.

Colleges Caringi, Bulls rally UMBC to 2-1 victory against Albany Pete Caringi III (Calvert Hall) scored in the 64th minute and Andrew Bulls (McDonogh) in the 77th as host UMBC rallied to edge Albany, 2-1, in the America East opener for both squads. The Retrievers, the defending conference champions, improved to 4-3-2 overall, while Albany lost its third straight and slipped to 4-5-0. Bulls became the fourth player in school history to reach 90 career points and the ninth to score 30 goals.

The passage late last month of a gay marriage bill in New York has renewed hope among advocates in Maryland who were disappointed by the narrow defeat of similar legislation here this year. New York's law doubled the number of people living in states where same-sex marriages are legal, it pushed President Barack Obama even closer to embracing gay marriage, and it proved that a gay marriage bill can even succeed in a legislative chamber controlled by Republicans. New York's vote, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's quick signature of the bill into law, unquestionably added to a sense that the issue has momentum nationally.

In what some had pegged as a potential "trap" game for Johns Hopkins, it was the host Blue Jays on Friday who fought through the raindrops to quickly bury Albany in a hole from which it couldn't escape. Coming off consecutive wins over top 5 powers Virginia and North Carolina, and with a showdown at Maryland looming next weekend, No. 4 Hopkins dominated the inconsistent Great Danes throughout the first half, building a six-goal lead before hanging on for an 11-6 win at Homewood Field.

The Baltimore Sun's men's Division I poll Ranking Team Previous ranking Record 1. Syracuse 1 8-0 2. Notre Dame 2 7-0 3. Duke 4 8-3 4. Johns Hopkins 6 7-2 5. North Carolina 5 7-3 6. Maryland 9 7-2 7. Virginia 7 7-3 ...

The UMBC men's lacrosse team's bid for a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance wasn't going to be easy. And now, it's not going to be at all. Needing to win the America East tournament championship and the league's automatic qualifier for the third straight year, the Retrievers didn't make it out of the semifinal round, succumbing to visiting Albany in an 11-7 loss before an announced 553 at UMBC Stadium on Wednesday night. The Great Danes (5-10), the No. 3 seed in the America East tournament, will meet top-seeded Stony Brook in the tournament final Saturday.

Steele Stanwick (Loyola) scored three goals and assisted on one to power the top-ranked Virginia men's lacrosse team past No. 2 North Carolina, 7-5, in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic on Saturday in front of an announced 25,710 at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Cavaliers improved to 11-0, 2-0 and the Tar Heels fell to 10-1, 2-1. The record crowd for a regular-season game...

Thirteen players scored for Johns Hopkins as it ended a four-game losing streak with a 19-7 men's lacrosse win over Albany this afternoon at Homewood Field. Freshman John Ranagan had a hat trick and seniors Michael Kimmel (Loyola) and Steven Boyle added two goals and three assists apiece as Johns Hopkins evened its record to 5-5. Junior Kyle Wharton and freshman Zach Palmer also scored twice for the Blue Jays. The 19 goals are the most for Johns Hopkins since April 3, 2006, when JHU defeated Mount St. Mary's, 19-6.

Pierce Bassett is diving into one of the most scrutinized positions for one of the most storied programs in college lacrosse, and the freshman goalkeeper is rolling with the punches. "There's definitely expectations put on the starting goalie for Johns Hopkins, but I just try to take it as a game and put all my effort into preparing for the next opponent," Bassett said. "I'm not really worried about what's going on in terms of the media and anything outside of our team." Bassett, who will earn his second career start Saturday against visiting Albany, became only the fifth true freshman to start in the net for the Blue Jays since 1972.