ORONO, Maine. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (5-7, 2-1 AE) picked up a second straight conference win with a 60-55 victory over the Maine Black Bears on Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Center.
 
Junior Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) led the team with 13 points and added four rebounds. Freshman Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored 12 and added two steals. Junior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) finished with nine points, a team-high six rebounds, two assists, and one steal on the night.
 
The Black Bears jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, ahead 7-2 three minutes into the game. Juniors Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Penn.) and Banwareesingh knocked down shots from behind the arc to answer back-to-back scores from Maine. Trailing 14-10, UMass Lowell called timeout with just under three minutes to play in the quarter. Out the break, the River Hawks went on a 5-0 run to lead 15-14 at the end of the opening frame.
 
UMass Lowell pushed the lead to 20-14 in the second quarter before the Black Bears scored four straight points to make it a one possession game. Freshman Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) came up with big plays on both ends of the court, backing down the defense for an easy finish and coming up with a block on the defensive end. Senior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) then knocked down another three for the River Hawks to push the lead to 25-18. UMass Lowell rebounded well on the defensive end and took a 27-22 lead into the half. The River Hawks continued their success from distance, shooting 4-11 for 36% in the first half.
 
In the third quarter, the River Hawks scored two quick buckets and a pair of free throws to push lead to 33-22 just 90 seconds into the second half. Sophomore Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) knocked down a long-range jumper to give the River Hawks a 13-point lead before Maine answered with back-to-back scores. The Black Bears would not go away quietly, fighting back to cut the lead to 40-34 with just under three minutes to play in the third. Solis fought through two Maine defenders for a tough finish to put UMass Lowell back up by eight points heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The River Hawks pushed their lead back to nine early in the fourth quarter, leading 51-42 at the media timeout. Maine started to gain some momentum, forcing a turnover just before the break with a chance to continue chipping away at the UMass Lowell lead. Ivory Finley knocked down a big three for the River Hawks, but Maine answered with a three of their own to make it a 56-53 game with 27.4 seconds left to play. The River Hawks held off a late Maine surge, picking up a second straight conference win with a 60-55 win in Orono.
 
Edmonds and Price finished the game with eight points each. Edmonds added four rebounds and four assists, while Price tallied three rebounds and one assist. As a unit, the River Hawks shot 46% from the field and 33% from behind the arc.