January 22 vs. UAlbany (7 p.m.)
ESPN + | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
 
January 25 vs. Vermont (11 a.m.)
ESPN3 | Live Stats
 
LOWELL, Mass. -- The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (9-9, 5-0 AE) will host UAlbany (6-12, 2-3 AE) at the Tsongas Center in a 7 p.m. tilt before, welcoming the Catamounts (9-9, 3-2 AE) to Costello on Saturday afternoon.
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
After another strong performance from the River Hawks, defeating Maine, 66-57, the squad improves to 9-9 overall and 5-0 in the America East. Senior Ren'Cia Rolling and sophomore Denise Solis are the lone River Hawks in double figures. Rolling is averaging 11.9 ppg while snagging 2.1 steals per game to tie for second place in the conference. Solis is scoring at 10.4 ppg and is the only River Hawk to play on and start every game. As a unit, UMass Lowell is shooting 36 percent from the field, and 64 percent from the line. 
 
SCOUTING UALBANY
The Great Danes enter Wednesday's contest with a 6-12 overall record and 2-3 in the America East, falling in their third-straight conference game, 73-53, to No.1 seeded Stony Brook. Senior center Alexi Schecter leads the squad in points, averaging 12.8 per game, while redshirt-senior Amanda Kantzy has grabbed a team-high 6.7 rebounds. Guard, Kyara Frames has proven to be a valuable asset, dishing out 3.8 assists per game. As a unit, UAlbany is shooting 38 percent from the field, and 63 percent from the line.
 
SCOUTING VERMONT
The Catamounts are 9-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play. After dropping their first conference matchups to UAlbany and Stony Brook, Vermont is now on a three-game win streak with victories over Hartford (63-53) Binghamton (65-62) and UMBC (60-58). Hanna Crymble leads four double-digit scorers with 17.7 points per game, in addition pacing the team with 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. Emma Utterback, who adds 11.1 points per game, leads the team with an average of 2.9 assists. As a unit, Vermont is shooting 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from long range.
 
LAST TIME OUT
During the sixth annual Health & Fitness Field Trip Day, four different River Hawks recorded double-digit efforts to help take down the Maine Black Bears, 66-57, for the first time in school history, in front of 3,133 local elementary school students. As a team, the River Hawks shot a season-best 43 percent for the game. Bri Stiers and Denise Solis paced the River Hawk offense, posting 12 points each, while Kharis Idom and freshman Jaliena Sanchez added 11 points apiece.
 
NCAA TOP-100
Ren'Cia Rolling is ranked 68th overall in the NCAA for steals with 2.1 on the season, helping the squad earn the 93rd spot overall. She also leads the team in minutes played, totaling 659 minutes to rank at No. 17. Solis is the only other River Hawk to rank in a statistical category, ranking 85th overall in the NCAA for free throw attempts, making 54 out of 86 attempts for 62.8%.
 
#STREAKS
For the first time since the 2012-13 season the River Hawks picked up six consecutive wins to give them their best start to conference action since joining the ranks of DI. UMass Lowell's last win streak came in 2014-15 where the River Hawks capped off their season with wins against UNH (70-65), Vermont (72-64) and NJIT (60-51).
 
MAKING HISTORY
With their wins over Maine, Binghamton, Hartford, UMBC and UNH, the River Hawks start conference play with a 5-0 record for the first time in Division I history. UMass Lowell last saw opening conference wins against Palm Beach Atlantic (84-76 2OT), Southern New Hampshire (96-82) and Southern Connecticut (77-74) back in the 2012-13 season where the River Hawks ran out on a nine-game win streak.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
With their, 66-57, win over Maine, the River Hawks ended a six-year drought, earning their first win in program history against the Black Bears. Their other recent victories against Binghamton and UNH, also ended the respective opponents win streak, not having beaten both teams since the 2015 season.
 
SNEAKY SANCHEZ
Jaliena Sanchez set a new personal-best, recording eight steals in the win against Maine. She now joins four other River Hawks tied for second place for single-game leaders in steals. The last time this happened was during the 2012-13 season where Bianca Simmons snagged eight in the 73-62 win over St. Anslem.
 
BOARDED UP
In the midst of their six-game win-streak, the River Hawks have outrebounded their opponents by 8.6 percent, posting 87 offensive and 178 defensive, compared to the oppositions 227 rebounds. UMass Lowell's most impressive performance was against Binghamton, recording 48 rebounds in the contest.
 
A DIME A DOZEN
With her career-high seven assists in the win over Maine, Sanchez is averaging a team-best 2.8 dimes per game this season. As a unit the River Hawks secured a season-high with 18 assists on 22 made field goals in the battle against Hartford (1.8). With her five assists in the contest, Sanchez is averaging a team-best 3.0 dimes per game this season.
 
CHASING 500
Posting a personal-best 20 points in the win over Binghamton, Ren'Cia Rolling grabs a career total of 440 points. Through the 18 games, Rolling has drained at least one shot from outside the arc in all but one contest, totaling 214 points on the season.
 
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
In both victories over UMBC and FDU, three different River Hawks tallied first-career double-doubles. Tiahna Sears (17 pts, 10 rebs) and Kharis Idom (15 pts, 11 rebs) each posted multi-point efforts in the 75-64 win against UMBC, while Denise Solis grabbed 21 points and 14 rebounds in the overtime victory against FDU, including the game-tying free throws. Solis is the first rookie River Hawk to notch a double-double, since the 2008-09 season where Bianca Simmons posted 28 points and 12 rebounds in the 73-64 win over Le Moyne.
 
BETTER TOGETHER
In the victory against UMBC every River Hawk who hit the court totaled at least two points, repeating last season's matchup against the Retrievers where UMass Lowell came out on top, 62-41. This marks the fifth time in Division I history, recording a 3-2 record between the meetings.
 
SHE'S ON A ROLL
After setting her career-high six steals in the contest against LIU, Ren'Cia Rolling is tied for second in the America East with 2.1 steals per game, helping the squad earn the top spot, with 8.78.
 
LUCKY NO. 13
With her best performance against Binghamton, posting a career-high 20 points, Ren'Cia Rolling has now recorded 10 or more points in 13 of the 18 contests this season.
 
CONNECT FOUR
In five contests this season, five different River Hawks have found themselves in double-digit point territory.
 
Massachusetts: Solis (17), Price (11) Sanchez (10), Rolling (10)
Yale: Rolling (16), Sanchez (12), Solis (10), Willis (10)
Cornell: Solis (14), Price (11), Sanchez (10), Rolling (10)
FDU: Solis (21), Sanchez (18), Idom (11), Rolling (10)
Maine: Solis (12), Stiers (12), Sanchez (11), Idom (11)
 
PROTECT THE HOUSE
Solis currently leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game for the River Hawks, which ranks 11th among America East players. Her 2.7 offensive rebounds per game is fourth in the conference, helping the squad earn the second spot overall with 13.6 offensive rebounds per game.
 
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBO
The River Hawks used a different starting lineup combination in the first five contests this season, with Denise Solis being consistent through every game. The last eleven lineups have featured appearances from Jaliena Sanchez, Kharis Idom, Ren'Cia Rolling, Chasidey Willis and Solis, but the most recent game against Maine saw the substitution of Willis for Bri Stiers, throwing it back to the first lineup of the season.