NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored a career-high 12 points, but it was not enough as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team came up short, falling 73-50 at Merrimack on Saturday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) recorded her second double-digit game of the season with 10 points, while rookie Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) added eight points off the bench.
 
"Merrimack's style of play won out over ours," stated head coach Tom Garrick. "They are a really good team that pressured and played their zone well, we just weren't up for the task today"
 
The Warriors' Alyssa Casey and Denia Davis-Stewart each recorded double-doubles for Merrimack, netting 24 points, while grabbing 14 rebounds to lead all scorers.
 
The Warriors took an early lead, opening the contest on a 5-0 run, but a layup and free throw attempt by Banwareesingh, along with a jumper by Idom put the River Hawks on the board at 13-6.
 
Second-quarter heroics by Price and a shot from outside the arc by senior Ren'Cia Rolling (Lansing, Ill.) saw the River Hawks within nine points of the Warriors at 37-26, but the hosts answered with a 5-0 run of their own to finish out the first half.
 
The Warriors held UMass Lowell to nine third-quarter points, with three from freshman Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.), as the River Hawks headed into the fourth trailing 61-35.
 
Idom opened the fourth with a fast break layup, and junior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Aus.) added two jumpers to give the River Hawks a 9-0 run, but the Warriors held on to their 20-point lead to finish out the contest.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will return to Lowell for a three-game homestand with their last non-conference game of the season against Fairleigh Dickinson (12.29), before beginning America East play against New Hampshire (1.2) and UMBC (1.5).  
 
"We we're humbled today," commented Garrick. "Now we need to come out and prepare like is the first game of our season."