First Four flashes: Howard vs UMBC
The First Four produced gritty games — Howard vs. UMBC extended highlights show Howard’s resilience and UMBC’s perimeter shooting as deciding themes in their March 17–18 First Four clash (youtube.com) (sportingnews.com). These lower‑seeded showings are already reshaping upset chatter for bracket pools.
Howard edged UMBC 86-83 in Dayton; the Bison connected on 10 of 21 three-pointers (48.0%) while the Retrievers hit 9 of 22 (40.9%), and Howard finished with 29-of-61 shooting overall to UMBC’s 29-of-56. (espn.com.au) Ose Okojie scored a career‑high 23 points for Howard and Bryce Harris posted 19 points and 14 rebounds, drilling a turnaround jumper with 13 seconds left to break the tie; Cedric Taylor III went 9‑for‑10 at the line and fouled out in the final minute. (espn.com) UMBC erased a 12‑point deficit late — cutting an 83‑72 gap at 2:23 to 83‑81 after DJ Armstrong Jr.’s stepback 3 with 43 seconds remaining — but Armstrong’s last‑second 3 rimmed out after Jah’Likah King’s late layup; Isaiah Brown’s 1‑of‑2 free throws sealed the Bison trip. (umbcretrievers.com) Howard will travel to Buffalo to face No. 1 seed Michigan in the Midwest first round on Thursday, March 19, at 7:10 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center, a game set to be televised on CBS. (mgoblue.com) UMBC closed the season 24‑9, tying for the second‑most wins in program history and entering Dayton off a 12‑game win streak and a 14‑2 America East record. (umbcretrievers.com) The box score also showed low turnovers (UMBC 9, Howard 8), identical points in the paint (34 each), and a 40‑38 rebounding edge for Howard — underlying why a late three‑point barrage and free‑throw sequences decided the outcome. (sportsdata.usatoday.com)
