BALTIMORE, Md. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (12-12, 8-3 AE) battled a hot-rebounding UMBC (8-14, 4-7 AE) squad inside the UMBC Events Center on Saturday afternoon. The home team shot 42.9 percent from the field compared to the River Hawks 31.0 percent to earn the 65-52 victory.
 
"UMBC played harder than us today, putting in effort at the right moments," commented head coach Tom Garrick. "It seemed like we weren't prepared to start the game and we were a step slower compared to UMBC."
 
Sophomore Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) and freshman Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) combined for 28 points, with Idom recording her 13th consecutive double-digit scoring performance of the season. Junior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Aus.) saw her fourth game this season leading in rebounds, snagging six boards to top all River Hawks.
 
A late start for both sides would see a scoreless opening two minutes, until the Retrievers put up a shot from outside the arc with 7:48 on the clock. Senior Brianne Stiers (Denver Colo.) got the visitors on the board a minutes later off the River Hawks first free throw opportunity of the day, but back-to-back triples from UMBC's Te'yJah Oliver would double the home team's lead, 13-5, at the media timeout.
 
The Retrievers would continue their run into the second going on a 7-0 spurt until UMass Lowell responded with one of their own off a jumper by Sanchez and triple by Idom, cutting the home teams lead to 10 points, 22-12. Another run by the visitors would trim the gap even more, topped off by a fast break layup from freshman Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.), but the home team would add on a triple at the buzzer to extend the lead, 32-20, at the half.
 
Opening the third off a triple from Sanchez, Oliver would counter with three more of her own over the next six minutes, bringing the Retriever lead to 41-30 into the second media timeout. Another 6-0 run by the home team would end with an Idom jumper as the visitors trailed 47-35 heading into the final stretch.
 
The River Hawks best run of the contest would come five minutes into the fourth off three-pointers from Sears and freshman Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) to trim the deficit to eight points, 53-45, but the Retrievers would go on the attack yet again, going 8-for-8 on the line in the final minutes, ending the contest, 65-52.
 
Up next, the River Hawks will hit the road once more, traveling to Maine for a Wednesday night showdown, followed by a senior day celebration against Hartford at the Tsongas Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.