Mar 15, 2008 10:08 pm US/Eastern
UMBC Wins American East Title, First NCAA Bid
CATONSVILLE, Md. (AP) ―
Darryl Proctor scored 23 points to help Maryland-Baltimore County earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament with an 82-65 victory over Hartford in the America East championship game on Saturday.
UMBC (24-8) was making its first trip to a championship game since starting Division I play in 1986. The Retrievers, who won the America East regular-season title, also set a school record for victories with the win.
They made 14 of their first 18 shots from the field as part of a 20-0 run that gave them a 28-6 lead. Point guard Jay Greene finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists and earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
This also was second-seeded Hartford's first trip to a title game. Joe Zeglinski led the Hawks with 17 points, Michael Turner scored 16 and Jaret Von Rosenberg added 15.
Hartford (17-16) awakened after its slow start to get within 61-51 with 9 minutes left. But Proctor made a layup and a jumper to spark a 10-0 run that gave the Retrievers a 71-51 lead.
UMBC bounced back from a poor shooting performance in last weekend's victory over Vermont in a semifinal to make 68 percent from the field in the first half and 59 percent overall against Hartford.
Brian Hodges had struggled for the Retrievers after returning from an ankle injury that kept him out for about a month, going scoreless in the semifinal win. But he found his touch in this game and scored 13 points. Ray Barbosa added 14 points.
In an upset Saturday evening, Coppin State beat MEAC rival Morgan State for a trip to the tournament.
The final score of that game was 62-60.
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