BURLINGTON, Vt. – Shooting over 45 percent for their third-straight game, the UMass Lowell women's basketball team completed the series sweep of Vermont with a 62-58 win on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gymnasium.
 
"I'm very proud of the team competing hard all season," stated head coach Tom Garrick. "Catapulting us into a home playoff berth on Wednesday, we are super excited about the progress this program has seen and the steps we've been taking forward. Having said all that, we must stop giving away leads in the fourth quarter and that's something we'll need to work on in the next couple of days."
 
Sophomore Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) recorded her 18th consecutive game scoring in double-digits to lead all River Hawks with 17 points and a career-high seven assists. Freshman Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) and junior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Aus.) contributed defensively, pitching in seven boards a piece.
 
The River Hawks started strong, building a 7-4 advantage by the first media timeout off a triple from freshman Kaylen Banwareesingh's (Bronx, N.Y.). Continuing the River Hawk scoring with a solo 5-0 run by Idom, the visitors would hold onto their three-point advantage at 14-11, heading into quarter two.
 
Both teams would go on the attack in the opening minutes of the second, equalizing the score four separate times, until a Sears layup at 5:19 gave the visitors the spark they needed for a 14-0 run to lead 33-24 at the half.
 
Holding steady for most of the third, UMass Lowell would add two more 6-0 runs with key points in the paint coming from Solis and senior Brianne Stiers (Denver, Colo.) to hold a 13-point edge going to the final stretch.
 
Opening the fourth on another 6-0 with points from Idom, Sears and freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) the River Hawks would gain their biggest advantage for a 19-point deficit, 56-37. 

The home team would then use a 19-4 run over the remaining minutes of the fourth to trim the gap, 60-58, but the River Hawks would keep steady, putting up two free throws from Stiers and Idom in the final seconds to finish out the contest, 62-58.
 
For the first time in Division I history, the UMass Lowell Women's Basketball Team will host a home playoff game at the Tsongas Center as the No. 3 seed in the America East, battling the No. 6 seed UMBC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Tickets are available now at www.GoRiverHawks.com/WBBPlayoffs or at the Tsongas Center Box Office.