Retrievers

DID THE basketball playoffs lose their spark after Maryland's Terrapins washed out? Is it time for a break from competition that seems too much about speed and strength and too little about strategy? If so, then "The Surgeon," "The Frenchman," "The Polish Magician" and "The Invincible" have just the spectator sport for you: championship chess. Become a fan in time to celebrate with the new hometown champs. Bearing the monikers of professional wrestlers, members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers won the "Final Four" of intercollegiate chess Sunday with a three-zip match score over defending champs and longtime rivals the University of Texas at Dallas.

When Dr. Charles Brown first looked into taking the athletic director job at UMBC in 1989, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native wasn't real savvy about the school. "I thought it was a military base when I showed up," he said with a chuckle. "It said UMBC. I didn't know what it was. I lived near USMA, the U.S. Military Academy [at West Point] when I lived in New York. " Now, after 24 years at the school, he's retiring as the longest-tenured Division I athletic director in Maryland history and the driving force behind UMBC's greatly enhanced profile in both intercollegiate and club sports.

Dan Bulls is senior co-captain of the Retrievers soccer team. His brother Andrew, a freshman, is one of the team's top scorers. Together, the pair from Millersville have helped propel UMBC, 3-1-1 entering today's game at Towson (4 p.m.).The Bulls brothers are the first siblings to start for Pete Caringi, the school's coach for 18 years. They play side by side as midfielders. To their teammates, they are known simply as "Bulls" and "Baby Bulls." "Their chemistry amazes me," Caringi said.

After opening the season with just one win in its first five games, UMBC is now one victory away from making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009. All the the team has to do is knock off No. 10 Albany in Saturday morning's America East tournament final at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, N.Y. Retrievers coach Don Zimmerman said getting to this stage of the year is an objective every program discusses, which makes Saturday's contest that much more exhilarating. “You work hard all year - not just all season - with fall ball, weights, conditioning, and it boils down to this game,” he said Friday.

Two characteristics of this Terrapins team that are going to give plenty of teams trouble this season are their size and their depth. On Friday night at Comcast Center, the No.22 Maryland women exploited both of those advantages against UMBC. The Terrapins dominated the Retrievers, winning 71-45 for their eighth victory in a row. The 26-point win was their third straight double-digit margin. Tianna Hawkins made the most of her first start of the season with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, scoring in double figures for her second game in a row. Anjale Barrett, the lone guard on the court to start the game, had 12 points and six assists, and Alyssa Thomas came back from a cut knee that needed 10 stitches to chip in 10 points.

The UMBC men's lacrosse team's search for a season-turning win chugs along for at least another week. No. 8 Maryland scored the first four goals en route to a commanding 15-6 victory over the visiting Retrievers before 2,836 at Byrd Stadium on Friday night. UMBC has lost four straight contests after opening the season with a 16-10 win against Presbyterian on Feb. 19. The team has been outscored, 66-25, in those setbacks. Despite the Retrievers' lethargic start, the Terps (5-1)

The comeback tour for the Towson men's lacrosse team rolls on. Seven players scored goals as the host Tigers collected their second consecutive win by holding off UMBC, 10-7, before an announced 2,850 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson on Wednesday night. Paired with Saturday's 9-7 triumph over Delaware, the victory gives Towson (3-5) its first two-game winning streak since March 2009, when the team strung together three straight victories over Robert Morris, Bucknell and Drexel.

Colleges Former star catcher Mumma named UMBC baseball coach UMBC has promoted Bob Mumma from assistant baseball coach to head coach at his alma mater. The Rising Sun native played catcher for the Retrievers from 1990 to 1992 and is the school's all-time leader in home runs (42) and tied for second in RBIs (152). He spent two seasons in the Chicago White Sox organization, then returned to UMBC in the fall of 1996 as an assistant. He succeeds John Jancuska , who coached the Retrievers from 1978 to this year.

CINCINNATI -- In a game marked by poor shooting and turnovers by both teams, UMBC lost to Xavier, 77-58, last night at Cincinnati Gardens before 6,613 fans.UMBC (1-6) has lost 15 of its past 16 games on the road and hasn't won a road contest in December since beating Coppin State in 1992.The Retrievers shot just 27 percent from the field (18 for 66) and 62 percent from the line (16 of 26). UMBC committed 32 turnovers.UMBC, which came into the game averaging 16 turnovers per contest, had that many by the end of the first half.

UMBC encountered no challenge when it opened its lacrosse season with a 26-goal victory over Marist Saturday.But yesterday, the Retrievers met serious resistance on three fronts -- the opposition, the weather and a muddy field -- and triumphed in spite of it.Under conditions more suitable for mud-packing and kite flying, the 10th-ranked Retrievers turned back visiting Notre Dame, 13-7, to earn their first 2-0 start in 10 years and receive a suitable warm-up...

Three UMBC women's players were named to the All-America East conference teams, including defender Jamie Fahey, who was honored for the third straight year. Fahey (Loch Raven) and midfielder Kirsten Bilney (Mount Hebron) made the first team while midfielder Alyssa Semones (Westminster) made the second team. New Hampshire attacker Nicole Grote (Marriotts Ridge) and Boston University midfielder Sofia Robins (McDonogh) were named to the All-Rookie Team. Stony Brooks' Demmianne Cooke and Albany's Rachel Burek were named Co-Players of the Year and Albany coach John Battaglino was the Coach of the Year.

UMBC has enjoyed some memorable comebacks wins during Don Zimmerman's tenure. Just a couple that come to mind include a five-goal rally to edge Maryland, 8-7, on March 6, 2012 and a 5-1 fourth quarter to nip Albany, 14-13, in an America East tournament final on May 3, 2008. But the longtime coach said that the Retrievers' six-goal explosion in Thursday's 15-13 decision over Hartford in a conference tournament semifinal at Stony Brook may have been one of best he witnessed. “That was a special comeback, especially against a team like Hartford in a championship setting,” Zimmerman said Friday morning.

With a 6-7 record, UMBC's only path to the NCAA tournament entails winning the America East tournament at Stony Brook and capturing the automatic qualifier that accompanies that honor. A loss to Hartford in Thursday's semifinal or to the Albany-Stony Brook winner from the other semifinal would mean the Retrievers would begin their offseason next week while the NCAA tournament rages on. The importance of the conference tournament is not lost on coach Don Zimmerman. “Beginning Thursday, it's sudden death,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Loyola, Towson and UMBC learned their seeding in their respective conference tournaments, which will take place later this week. The No. 7 and reigning national champion Greyhounds (11-3) earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament. Despite finishing with an identical 6-1 league record as No. 6 Denver (11-3), the Pioneers got the top seed due to a head-to-head tiebreaker stemming from their 13-12 overtime decision against Loyola on April 13. The Greyhounds will face No. 8 Ohio State (10-3 overall and 5-2 in the ECAC)

The UMBC men's lacrosse team's offense sputtered throughout the first half of Saturday's game against visiting Binghamton. But the Retrievers came alive in the second half and rallied for a win that put them into the America East tournament. Freshman Pat Young scored all four of his goals in the second half, the final one a tie-breaker with 1:18 left, giving UMBC a 10-9 comeback victory. The Retrievers UMBC (6-7, 3-2 America East) will be either the No. 3 or 4 seed in the four-team conference tournament, which begins Thursday at Stony Brook.

UMBC goalie Kendall Mason could not have done much more to keep the Retrievers in Saturday's critical women's lacrosse game against New Hampshire. The senior had eight saves and held the Wildcats to six goals. With those stats, a goalie should get the win, but the Retrievers committed too many costly fouls and did not take advantage of some great opportunities on offense, falling to the Wildcats, 6-5, in a game that cost them a berth in next weekend's America East tournament. The Retrievers (8-8, 3-3 America East)

When Tom Sullivan was applying for the job of men's basketball coach at UMBC four years ago, an impressive group of callers phoned in their recommendations to UMBC athletic director Charles Brown."

UMBC 73, Maine 68, OT -Senior Darryl Proctor scored a game-high 26 points, and junior Matt Spadafora added a season-best 17 as visiting UMBC outlasted Maine, 73-68, in overtime. The Retrievers improved to 10-13 overall and 4-7 in the America East, taking a one-game lead over Maine, which fell to 8-16 and 3-8. UMBC swept the season series from the Black Bears for the first time in six years and evened the all-time series at seven. Spadafora came within one point of his career high. He hit seven of 10 shots from the field and added five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes.

Last year's regular-season finale ended on a sour note for UMBC when Binghamton stunned the Retrievers with a 15-8 rout in Vestal, N.Y. But the loss wasn't too costly as UMBC had already clinched a berth in the America East tournament. This Saturday should have a much different feel to it. The Retrievers (5-7 overall and 2-2 in the league) will meet the Bearcats (5-8, 1-3) this Saturday at UMBC Stadium in Catonsville to cap the 2013 campaign, but at stake is a spot in the conference tournament.

This season, UMBC has featured one of Division I's more opportunistic man-up offenses, converting 39.5 percent of its chances (15-of-38) which ranks 14th in the country. The program's strength will soon be tested this Saturday when America East rival Binghamton pays a visit to UMBC Stadium in Catonsville. The Bearcats (5-8 overall and 2-2 in the league) are tops in the nation in suffocating extra-man opportunities, surrendering just four goals on 28 man-up chances and turning away 85.7 percent of those opportunities.