Preview of Thursday’s America East Men’s Basketball Game CATONSVILLE, Md. (Interstat) — A surging Maryland-Baltimore County looks to continue its push for conference positioning Thursday when it hosts a Bryant team seeking to salvage its season. The Retrievers (18-8, 10-3 America East) enter the 7 p.m. EST tipoff at Retriever Activities Center having won seven of their last eight games. Their lone loss in that stretch was a nine-point defeat at league-leading Vermont. UMBC is currently second in the conference standings. Conversely, the visiting Bryant Bulldogs (8-19, 4-9) have lost five of their last six, including a 67-79 home loss to Binghamton in their most recent outing on Feb. 19. The teams met just over a month ago in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with Bryant pulling out a 79-74 overtime victory on Jan. 15. That result snapped a four-game winning streak for the Retrievers in the series. UMBC is led by guard Ace Valentine, who has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games. He posted 14 points, three rebounds and five assists in Saturday’s 66-62 win over Albany. The Retrievers’ defense has been a hallmark of their success, holding opponents to an average of 62.1 points during their recent 7-1 run. Bryant will rely on the hot hand of guard Ty Tabales, who is coming off back-to-back 21-point performances against Vermont and Binghamton. He scored a team-high 21 in the Feb. 19 loss, while Keegan Harvey added 20 points. The Bulldogs’ offense, however, has struggled for consistency, failing to reach 70 points in four of their last five losses. For UMBC, a win is crucial to keep pace near the top of the league. For Bryant, the game represents an opportunity to play spoiler and replicate their January upset to build momentum for the final stretch of the regular season.