LOWELL, Mass. – Four River Hawks scored in the double-digits to help lead the UMass Lowell women's basketball team to a 72-52 victory over NJIT in America East quarterfinal action on Sunday afternoon at Costello Athletic Center.
 
The River Hawks advance to the America East semifinals for the second-straight year where they will travel to Stony Brook on Sunday, March 7 at 3 p.m.
 
"It's good to survive and advance," commented head coach Tom Garrick. "I wasn't overly pleased with the first half, our kids got into a little bit of mud, but they eventually figured it out. We were able to get on track and play a little closer to our style of basketball. I'm proud of our group for coming this far."
 
Senior forward Tiahna Sears (Bunbury, Australia) put up a team-high 15 points, going 6-for-11 in the paint. Junior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) added 14 points to the River Hawk total, including a team-best five steals. Sophomore forward Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) tallied a team-high of eight off the glass, adding 12 points on five made field goals. Classmate Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points on the day, including a game-high five assists.
 
The River Hawks won the tip and jumped out to a quick, 5-0 edge with the help of a three from the wing by Idom. The Highlanders erased the difference, though, and the teams fought for the momentum early, as the lead changed hands twice until NJIT scored three in a row at the foul line to pull ahead, 15-12, at the end of the first frame.
 
A 5-0 NJIT run would continue into the second and give the Highlanders their third lead of the day, but Solis would convert on the line, sparking an 8-0 run of their own to grab the advantage, 22-18 at 4:21. The teams bounced back-and-forth in the waning minutes, until Sanchez drove in for the layup before with 26 seconds on the clock to give the home team a 28-25 lead heading into the break.
 
Solis laid one in for UMass Lowell's first bucket coming out of halftime, the Highlanders would score on points down low to close the gap back to three. However, Sanchez, Solis and Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) combined for 12 of the game's next 14 points to help the River Hawks extend their buffer to 42-30 at 6:30. NJIT would battle-back on five made free throws to trim the deficit to single digits, 51-42, at the end of the third.
 
The Highlanders would come out on the attack once again, cutting the deficit to just six points in the opening minutes of the fourth at 53-47. But the River Hawks would use a 19-3 run, highlighted by seven points from Sears, to seal the deal, 72-52.