Sports | 2008 NCAA Tournament UMBC Earns First NCAA Berth Retrievers jump out early to win American East title By Mitch Pritchard Posted Mar 15, 2008 5:00 PM CDT Copied Maryland-Baltimore County's Ray Barbosa, left, hugs teammate Matt Spadafora, right, after winning the America East championship basketball game against Hartford on Saturday, March 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Jamie C. Horton) Maryland-Baltimore County punched its first-ever ticket to the NCAA tournament today with an 82-65 win over Hartford in the American East tournament championship game, reports the Associated Press. Darryl Proctor led the way with 23 points as the Retrievers, 24-8, set a school record for wins. UMBC joined Division I in 1986. The Retrievers made 14 of their first 18 shots as they went on an early 20-0 run for a 28-6 lead. Point guard Jay Greene earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honors with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the title game. Hartford (17-16) cut the lead to 10 with nine minutes left, but Proctor made a layup to spark a 10-0 UMBC run. Read These Next Actor Michael Madsen is dead at 67. Who added bill's proposed tax on clean energy? No one knows. Trump gives merch to hesitating Republicans. Pardoned Capitol rioter receives life sentence. Report an error