SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- —

Rafael Pinzon had 22 points in Bryant's 85-74 win over UMBC on Saturday in an opening-round, quarterfinal of the America East Conference Tournament.

The Bulldogs secured the No. 1 seed for the first time since joining the league, snapping Vermont’s eight year run earning at least a share of the title. The bracket will be reseeded at the conclusion of quarterfinal play. The semis start Tuesday.

Pinzon shot 8 for 20 (3 for 10 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line for the Bulldogs (21-11). Earl Timberlake scored 18 points while finishing 8 of 15 from the floor and added seven rebounds and eight assists. Kvonn Cramer shot 5 of 6 from the field to finish with 12 points, while adding 12 rebounds.

Marcus Banks led the way for the eighth-seeded Retrievers (13-19) with 24 points and nine rebounds. UMBC also got 14 points and two steals from Anthony Valentine. Josh Odunowo finished with 13 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.