LOWELL, Mass. – Freshman Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) scored five points off of free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (5-9) picked up their second-straight America East opener victory, fending off New Hampshire (3-10), 58-53, on Thursday night.
 
Senior guard Ren'Cia Rolling (Lansing, Ill.) led the home team with 16 points, while junior forward Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Aus.) grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.
 
"Our players fought hard," stated head coach Tom Garrick. "I'm really pleased with our first conference game. There was an obvious flow to the game, getting off to a good start and taking the lead in the second half."
 
In-and-out action, including turnovers from both the visitors and home team, saw the contest start on a scoreless two minutes.
 
After a River Hawk foul, the Wildcats struck first on their second free throw opportunity, securing one of their only leads in the first half. Rolling provided the hosts with their first points of the game off a jumper just under the eight-minute mark.
 
Both teams continued to trade points for most of the first with the River Hawks gaining the advantage on a 5-0 run by freshman Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) and Sears to close out the final minutes at 13-9.
 
A small 5-0 run by Solis and freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) opened up the second quarter, but the Wildcats answered with one of their own, including Helena Delaruelle's three-pointer, to cut the gap at 25-23, leading into the half.
 
A layup by Delaruelle saw the Wildcats take their second lead at 30-28 during the third quarter, but a Sanchez layup at 7:06 in the fourth sparked a 10-0 run for the hosts, giving them a 39-30 buffer.
 
Jumpers from Idom and Sanchez opened up the fourth, providing a 51-40 lead for the River Hawks, but New Hampshire jumped on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit within one point, 53-52.
 
Four fouls by the Wildcats during the last 30 seconds put Sanchez on the line, sinking six of her 12 to give the home team a chance to secure the win, 58-53.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will round out their three-game homestand with a visit from UMBC on Sunday afternoon, tip-off is set for 12 p.m. at Costello.
 
"We're looking forward to another good effort," stated Garrick. "It's a chance for us to go 2-0, which is something we haven't done in a long time. I think our players will be prepared and excited to play another home conference game."