ALBANY, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (6-8, 3-2 AE) fell to the University at Albany Great Danes (12-6, 5-2 AE) by a score of 56-44 on Wednesday night at SEFCU Arena.
 
Junior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) led the team with 11 points, shooting 3-3 from the field, and added a team-high five rebounds. Fellow junior Denise Solis scored 10 and added three assists, two steals and one block. Senior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) picked up 10 points and four rebounds.
 
Solis got the River Hawks offense started on a 7-2 run to open the game. UAlbany answered with a 6-0 run to take the lead at the media timeout. Five straight points out of the break gave the Great Danes an 11-7 lead. UMass Lowell was held scoreless for over five and a half minutes and turned the ball over five times in the first quarter.
 
The Great Danes continued to roll, pushing the lead to 32-13 in the second quarter. Solis broke a three-minute scoreless drought with two free throws for the River Hawks. UAlbany's defense was strong, keeping UMass Lowell off the board and forcing several turnovers. The Great Danes shot 50% from the field and went 6-7 from behind the arc in the first half. On the other side, the River Hawks shot 33% from the field and 40% from distance. Solis and Idom combined for 18 points in the first half.
 
UMass Lowell held UAlbany off the board for the first five minutes of the third quarter with a much better defensive effort. A layup from sophomore Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) followed by a steal from junior Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Penn.) gave the River Hawks a spark. Sophomore Baylee Teal (Penfield, N.Y.) knocked down a big three to cut the deficit to 12. Good work on the defensive end held the Great Danes to just seven points in the quarter, as UMass Lowell trailed 44-32 heading into the final frame.
 
Freshman Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) picked up a steal-and-score to bring the River Hawks within ten to begin the quarter. Better energy on the defensive end kept the Great Danes off the board and forced them into a timeout 90 seconds in. Banwareesingh came off the bench and knocked down back-to-back threes to bring the River Hawks within nine at the media timeout. UAlbany turned things around defensively and hit a few shots down the stretch to push the lead back to double digits. The Great Danes would take the game 56-44.