WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- The UMass Lowell women's basketball team took down Hartford, 68-63, in a thrilling road win Wednesday night at the Chase Arena. Sophomore Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) and senior Ren'Cia Rolling (Lansing, Ill.) combined for 39 points to lead the River Hawks (7-9, 3-0 AE) to their fourth-straight victory and third consecutive conference win.
 
"Our development is showing more and more every game," stated head coach Tom Garrick. "We're getting confident and more self-assured of what our concepts and goal are."
 
Idom scored a career-high 23 points, including 17 in the second half. Rolling chipped in 16 points, including eight assists to give her 10 games this season scoring 10 or more points. Senior Brianne Stiers (Denver. Colo.) collected 10 boards to lead all players.
 
The River Hawks got off to a hot start with layups from both Idom and Solis, giving the visitors at 8-2 buffer, but a Jada Lucas layup cut the deficit, 8-4, halfway through the first.
 
Hartford closed the gap on a 6-0 run after a Jordan McLemore free throw to put the home team within one point, 13-12, going into the second quarter. Unfortunately, the Hawks continued to surge in the opening minutes of the second, increasing their run to 10-0 with a three-pointer from Kaela Dothard to put them up 19-14.
 
With three minutes left in the second, freshman Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) connected on a free throw opportunity to even the score at 23-23, but both teams traded points for the better half of two minutes until Villalobos drained a jumper to give the home team a 31-28 lead at the half.
 
Hartford held onto their lead with a 7-2 run to start off the third, but UMass Lowell fought their way back with free throw opportunities from Idom and freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to cut the deficit 44-41.
 
Opening the fourth on a 7-0 run with points in the paint from Price and fellow classmate Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.), the River Hawks found their momentum to take a 48-46 lead. Trading points throughout the final minutes Hartford used a three-point opportunity from Villalobos to grab the lead again at 57-55.
 
The River Hawks responded with back-to-back three-pointers and free throws from Rolling and Idom, holding the Hawks to four points in the remaining minute, ending the score at 68-63.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will continue their America East road journey as they trek to Binghamton for a Saturday afternoon tilt at 2 p.m.
 
"We'll do the same thing we always do," commented Garrick. "We'll work more on our development. Identifying Binghamton's strengths and weaknesses are going to be key in preparing a defensive strategy."