February 6 at Maine (4 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live (ESPN3) | Game Notes (PDF)
 
February 7 at Maine (1 p.m.)
Live Stats | Watch Live (ESPN3) | Game Notes (PDF)
Twitter: @RiverHawkWBB | @RiverHawkNation

LOWELL, MASS. -- The River Hawks, who are 9-6 overall and 8-4 in America East play so far this year, return to the road for a weekend series with the Black Bears.

#AEHOOPS UPDATE
On January 24, the conference announced that it has reworked the schedule and will release it in two-week increments for the rest of the season. The change was made in order to maximize scheduling flexibility to best position programs in light of COVID-19 issues (Release). Any schedule changes will be announced on Twitter @AEHoopsNews. The conference also released that the Vermont women's basketball team has made the decision to discontinue its season. The decision was made by the student-athletes with the full support of their coaches, athletic department and the conference.

SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears are in the midst of a seven-game win streak, sitting at 12-1 overall and 9-1 in America East games. Most recently, the team swept Binghamton in a pair of road games on Jan. 23 (77-60) & 24 (74-51). Blanca Milan leads the team with 22.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He also adds a team-best 36 steals and 10 blocks this season. Senior Dor Saar is contributing 10.4 points per game and team-high 73 assists. As a unit, Maine is shooting 43.6 percent from the field, including 34.2 percent from long range and 71.2 percent from the line. 

WINS WOULD...
A pair of wins against Maine would be Lowell's third series sweep of the 2020-21 season, improving their mark to 11-6 overall and 10-4 in conference action. A Saturday win would mark the second time in program history that the River Hawks will have taken down the Black Bears, after last season's 66-57 victory on Field Trip Day. 

LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Kaylen Banwareesingh recorded her first double-double despite a, 46-39, loss for the UMass Lowell women's basketball team against UAlbany on Saturday. Banwareesingh set a career-high with 13 rebounds in the contest. Sophomore Shamyjha Price went 3-for-4 from the line to add seven points, while freshman Sydney Coombs totaled a personal-best six points.

The following day, the River Hawks battled back for a 46-31 victory against the Great Danes. Sophomore Denise Solis went 6-for-12 in the paint to lead all River Hawks with 15 points, including a team-high eight rebounds. Banwareesingh posted another double-digit game with 10 points while topping her career-high of three blocks. Junior Kharis Idom chipped in with seven points and a team-best two assists and two steals. 

LEADING THE FLOCK  
Through ten games in 2020-21, three different River Hawks have bounced between top rankings. Forward Denise Solis sits in the top spot, averaging 10.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. Kharis Idom follows closely behind with 9.8 ppg, shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc. Sophomore Jaliena Sanchez is putting up 9.2 ppg, while chipping in a team-high 3.0 assists per game. As a unit, UMass Lowell is shooting 36 percent (293-819) from the floor, 27 percent (63-234) from beyond the arc, and 67 percent (183-272) from the foul line. 

NATIONAL NEWS
The River Hawks are ranked third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to an average of 21.6 percent this season. Lowell's most notable performance came during Sunday's contest, as the Great Dane's went 0-16 from beyond the arc. 

TURNING MISTAKES INTO POINTS
For the third time this season the River Hawks have matched their season-high of 22 points off of turnovers. Most recently, Lowell forced 13 second-half turnovers en route to their Sunday victory over the Great Danes. 

TRIPLE THE TROUBLE
Tiahna Sears, Denise Solis and Kaylen Banwareesingh are the three River Hawks to have recorded a double-double this season. Banwareesingh tallied her first career double-double this past weekend against UAlbany, notching 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Sears posted 14 points and 11 rebounds at NJIT, while Solis had a team-best 16 points and 12 rebounds against Vermont. 

BENCH PRESSURE
Through all 15 games this season, Kaylen Banwareesingh has been a force both offensively and defensively. The 6'0 sophomore is putting up more points than any other reserve player, averaging 5.1 points per game. On the defensive end, Banwareesingh leads the way with 11 blocks and 4.8 rebounds. 

NEW YEAR, NEW US
Since ringing in the new year, UMass Lowell has picked up six wins in the month of January. The River Hawks recorded their first series sweep against conference-newcomer NJIT on Jan. 2 & 3, followed by their most recent victory against UAlbany on Jan. 31. 

SOLIS FROM THE START
So far in 2020-21, the River Hawks have gone 8-1 after winning the opening tip, with Denise Solis being in the center of it all. The 6'1 forward has won 26 of 41 openers for a 63 percent average over her career.

LINE EM' UP
Out of their 15 games, the UMass Lowell has used five different starting lineup combinations, their most common comprising of Jaliena Sanchez, Kharis Idom, Denise Solis, Shamyjha Price and Tiahna Sears. Idom is the lone River Hawk to have collected 15 starts on the season. 

POINTS GALORE
For the first time since the 2014-15 season, the River Hawks scored over 80 points against an America East opponent when they defeated Hartford on Jan. 9, 81-45. The last time UMass Lowell tallied over 80 points against a league opponent was on Feb. 4, 2015 at UMBC, defeating the Retrievers 84-78. 

SHARP SHOOTING
In the weekend sweep over Hartford, the River Hawks set a new season-high of 28 made field goals. Tiahna Sears matched her personal-best of 17 points, shooting 8-for-10 in the paint to top her career-high.

HOLD, PLEASE
The River Hawks limited Hartford to just five points in the third quarter on Jan. 9. That marks the fourth time under head coach Tom Garrick that UMass Lowell has held an opponent to five points or less in a quarter - the most recent was last season against Binghamton, holding the Bearcats to only four points in the opening stanza.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Denise Solis saw plenty of action during her first year in a River Hawk uniform. The 6'1 forward was the only River Hawk to start in all 31 games for an average of 26.8 minutes per game. She has continued her run into her sophomore season, making a start in 14 games to average 28.1 minutes.