LOWELL, Mass. – Junior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Aus.) logged her first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to help propel the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (6-9, 2-0 AE) to a 75-64 victory against fellow America East member UMBC (4-9, 0-2 AE) on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the River Hawks pick up their second-straight conference victory for the first time since the 2012-13 season in the NE10.
 
"I think it was our most complete game of the season thus far," stated head coach Tom Garrick. "We took advantage of our opportunities to play strong offensive and defensive basketball and I'm really pleased with the effort our kids put in today."
 
Sophomore Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) recorded her first double-double of the season as well, pitching in 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Ren'Cia Rolling (Lansing, Ill.) scored 17 points to pace the offense with Sears. Every player who entered the game scored for the River Hawks for the first time since 2018.
 
Starting off strong with opening points from Idom, both teams traded points for a better part of three minutes until a shot from beyond the arc by Rolling sparked a 5-0 run for the home team, giving them a 10-4 advantage.
 
After a scoreless three minutes from both sides, Sears connected on a layup with 19 seconds left to give the home team a 24-15 buffer heading into the second quarter. 
 
A steal from freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) kicked-off the second, pushing a solo 4-0 run to keep the advantage at 28-15.
 
The Retrievers started to gain momentum with shots of their own, including three-pointers from Te'yJah Oliver and Janee'a Summers to cut the deficit, 39-31, but another 4-0 run by the River Hawks saw the home team with a 12-point lead going into the half.
 
The offense for both sides was slow to get to work, as UMBC held a 7-2 edge through the first four minutes, but a layup from Sears fired up the River Hawks to spark an 10-0 spurt that gave the home squad a 62-42 advantage to close out the third.
 
Freshman Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) tallied the first bucket for the home team coming out of the third, adding free throw opportunities from both Sanchez and Sears to extend the difference to 68-54 at 4:51.
 
Following a Rolling three-pointer, the visitors tried to claw their way back with points from Oliver and Lyric Swann to push a 6-0 run, but the home team held on strong in the final minutes to finish out the contest at 75-64.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will head out for their first conference game on the road when they take on Hartford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Chase Arena.  
 
"We're excited for the challenge," commented Garrick. "It's always tough when playing on the road in the conference, but I think were in the right frame of mind to accept it."