Preview: UMBC Retrievers at Vermont Catamounts

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Interstat) — Two of the America East Conference’s hottest teams will collide Thursday night when the Vermont Catamounts host the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers at Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium.

Both squads enter the Jan. 29 matchup riding significant momentum. Vermont (13-8 overall) has won four of its last five, including a 62-52 road victory at Bryant on Saturday. UMBC (12-7) has been even more impressive, winners of six straight games, the latest a 79-56 rout of Massachusetts-Lowell.

The game features a compelling showdown between two of the league’s premier scorers. Vermont’s offense runs through TJ Hurley, who is in the midst of a torrid scoring stretch. The guard dropped 30 points in a win at UMass Lowell on Jan. 22 and followed with 26 in the victory at Bryant. Over his last four games, he is averaging 22.3 points.

He will be matched by UMBC’s dynamic guard DJ Armstrong, who is coming off a 22-point, 4-rebound performance against UMass Lowell. Armstrong has been a model of consistency during the Retrievers’ win streak, scoring in double figures in five of the six games and averaging 14.7 points per contest in that span.

The matchup carries weight in the conference standings. Vermont’s recent surge has been keyed by defense, holding opponents to 62 points or fewer in three of their last four wins. They will be tested by a balanced UMBC attack that saw Josh Odunowo add 17 points and Ace Valentine contribute 9 points and 2 assists in the win over the River Hawks.

UMBC’s last loss was a 79-74 overtime defeat at Bryant on Jan. 15, a game in which Armstrong scored 20 points. Vermont’s most recent setback was a 75-68 loss at Albany on Jan. 19.

The Catamounts will look to protect their home court, where they are 7-2 this season. The Retrievers, however, have shown resilience on the road, with key conference wins at Binghamton and a non-conference victory at Bucknell earlier this season.

This contest is the first of a regular-season series between the teams, who will meet again in Baltimore on Feb. 19.

UP NEXT:

UMBC: Visits Albany on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Vermont: Hosts NJIT on Saturday, Jan. 31.