BALTIMORE, Md.- Darryl Proctor scored 23 points and Jay Greene added 12 points and eight assists to lead top-seeded UMBC to its first-ever NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with an 82-65 win over second-seeded Hartford in the America East Championship on Saturday afternoon at RAC Arena. The championship is the Retrievers’ first since joining America East in 2003 and first in 22 years at the Division I level. Box Score.
UMBC (24-8) took control of the game early as Greene, the championship’s Most Outstanding Player, drained a long three-pointer from the top of the circle in game’s opening minutes. The basket sparked a 25-2 run in which the Retrievers scored 20 straight points and held the Hawks scoreless for over seven minutes to jump to a 28-6 lead with 9:28 left in the half. UMBC shot 68 percent in the period and set a conference championship game record by shooting 59.3 percent for the game.
Hartford (18-16) cut the deficit to 10 with nine minutes left in the contest on a conventional three-point play by Michael Turner. But the Retrievers, who set a school record with their 24th victory, ran off the next 10 points to put the game out of reach.
Proctor, an all-championship team selection, shot 10-of-14 from the floor also grabbed six rebounds. Ray Barbosa also earned all-championship honors and finished the game with 14 points. Brian Hodges came off the bench to score 10 points. It was his first game in double-figures in his last five games.
First-team all-conference selection Joe Zeglinski led Hartford with 17 points. An all-championship selection, Zeglinski hit five three-pointers and became just the second player in conference history to eclipse 100 made three-pointers for a season. Turner, a member of the America East All-Defensive squad, finished with 16 points. Jaret Von Rosenberg added 15 points and earned all-championship accolades, averaging 11 points for the tournament.
The Retrievers will learn their NCAA seed and opponent during the NCAA selection show on Sunday at 6 p.m. For more information on UMBC’s trip to the NCAA Tournament and other America East men’s basketball news, visit AmericaEast.com.
All-Championship Team
Jaret Von Rosenberg, Hartford
Joe Zeglinski, Hartford
Ray Barbosa, UMBC
Jay Greene, UMBC
Darryl Proctor, UMBC
Most Outstanding Player
Jay Greene, UMBC