BLOOMINGTON, IN. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-1, 0-0 AE) fell to the #11
Indiana Hoosiers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) in front of raucous crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday night.
"I thought the atmosphere was great tonight and it was a great opportunity for our team to play in front of a big crowd at a big venue," said head coach
Denise King. "We have to be tougher against bigger and stronger teams. We have to find another level of determination and heart if we're going to get results."
Junior Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) and Freshman Ella Ner (Bene Atarot, Israel) led the team with nine points each on the night. Senior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied a team-high eight boards and added four points. Sophomore Ivory Finely (Minneapolis, Minn.) and graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) each added five points for the River Hawks.
The River Hawks opened the scoring before a Hoosiers 6-0 run to take the lead. Ella Ner knocked down an early three to make it a one-point game. UMass Lowell held Indiana without a field goal for over three minutes, but early foul trouble gave the hosts a 9-5 lead at the media break. A 5-0 run for the Hoosiers was broken after a triple from Jaini Edmonds to cut the lead once again. Indiana stretched the lead to 22-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Indiana went on a 9-0 run to open the second quarter to extend the lead to 31-12, forcing UMass Lowell into a timeout. The River Hawks struggled on both ends of the floor, as the Hoosiers went on another scoring run over two minutes while UMass Lowell went scoreless for 2:19 before three free throws from senior Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.). Jaini Edmonds broke a scoring drought of over four minutes just before the half. Indiana led 49-17 at the break.
Out of the break, the Hoosiers offense continued to knock down shots, scoring 10 points in the opening three minutes of the quarter. The River Hawks offense scored on back-to-back trips, but then went on a scoring drought of over three minutes. Indiana led 66-21 at the media break. UMass Lowell went 0-6 from the field in a scoring drought over three minutes but held the Hoosiers off the board for over three minutes. A pair of free throws from Ivory Finley ended the drought for the River Hawks. Indiana took a 69-24 lead into the final frame.
The final ten minutes saw the Hoosiers go on another scoring run, knocking down six straight shots to extend the lead. Indiana's active hands and defense made it difficult for the River Hawks to get an offensively rhythm going throughout the game. The hosts went on to win the game 93-37.
UMass Lowell returns to action on November 16 to open the home campaign against Boston University. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Costello Athletic Center.
