LOWELL, Mass. – For the eighth time this season, sophomore Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) recorded double-digits to help propel the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (9-6, 8-4 AE) to a 46-31 victory against UAlbany (5-7, 4-4 AE) on Sunday afternoon at Costello Athletic Center.
 
Solis went 6-for-12 in the paint to lead all River Hawks with 15 points, including a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) added 10 points, while topping her career-high of three blocks. Junior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in with seven points and a team-best two assists and two steals.  
 
"It wasn't a great offensive showing by either team today," commented head coach Tom Garrick. "Although, I'm really proud of the defensive effort we showed. Anytime you can hold an opponent to 31 points, that's pretty special. Our team did a good job of mixing our defenses and rebounding the ball, which helped us limit those key second chance points."
 
The River Hawks recorded the first basket of the game thanks to points from Solis under the hoop, but the Great Danes created an early margin with the next eight straight points. Senior Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Australia) would snap the silence with a three from the corner, and Solis followed with a trip to the line to tie the game at 8-8 by the end of the first frame.
 
Continuing their run into the second, Lowell used points from Banwareesingh, Idom and freshman Sydney Coombs (Newmarket, N.H.) to build a five-point edge at 5:21 of the second. The visitors would counter the home team run, coming within one point just a few minutes later, but free points from Idom and sophomore Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) would give the River Hawks a four-point advantage heading into the half.
 
UMass Lowell maintained at least a two-point advantage until the home team ignited an 8-0 run to regain the upper hand, 26-24, at 3:47. Except a free throw from senior Linda Svenne (Riga, Latvia) and back-to-back layups from Solis quickly put the River Hawks back in front, 29-26.
 
The home squad would use six straight points to extend their lead, 37-28, in the early minutes of the fourth thanks to points in the paint from Idom and Solis. The Great Danes continued to press and were able to cut the difference to six in the final minutes, but the River Hawk defense closed out the victory to snap a two-game skid.
 
After four consecutive home matchups, the River Hawks will now head out on the road to take on the top-seeded Maine in a pair of games next weekend, Saturday-Sunday, February 6 & 7.