LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore forward Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) matched her season-high of 16 points, as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (8-4, 7-2 AE) battled to earn a 59-49 victory against Binghamton (3-8, 3-6 AE) on Saturday afternoon at Costello Athletic Center.
 
"I think today was a testament to our team and wanting to buy into the program," commented assistant coach Denise King. "We were very versatile in combinations and our players were ready to step up to the challenge. We played against a solid Binghamton team who came out to play and ran their cuts. We'll continue to dial in the focus on ourselves to do what we need in order to win games."
 
Also, in double figures on the day was senior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Australia) who totaled 10 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) added to the offense with nine points and a team-high three assists and three steals.
 
Solis came out on the attack to start the contest, winning the opening tip to score the first four points of the day. The Bearcats would get on the board with a layup, followed by their first run of the day to gain the upper hand, 7-4, with 6:46 on the clock. The River Hawks countered with a run of their own in the waning minutes of the first, picking up six points from the free throw line to snag the lead, 17-13 at the end of the first frame.
 
The River Hawks maintained their five-point lead in the opening minutes of the second before Binghamton used seven consecutive points to even the score, 20-20, at 5:58. However, a triple from Sears and an and-1 by Niya Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed by a fastbreak steal from sophomore Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) extended the squad's buffer to 33-28, heading into the half.  
 
Another seven-point run by the Bearcats opened the second half, cutting the deficit to only four points, 41-37 at 3:07, but Solis, Sanchez and junior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) connected on their free points to give the River Hawks their first double-digit lead of the day, 47-37.
 
Including five points from Solis, UMass Lowell outscored the Bearcats, 10-3, in the first seven minutes of the fourth to put the game out of reach, 57-40. Solis led the River Hawks with 11 second-half points, while Sanchez added six en route to the 59-49 decision.
 
Up next, River Hawks will close out their series with the Bearcats tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.