BALTIMORE, Maryland – Juniors Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) and Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) combined for 25 points as UMass Lowell (8-11, 5-5 AE) completed the comeback to beat the UMBC Retrievers (3-16, 2-7 AE) by a score of 70-68 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Solis led the team with 12 points and added three rebounds and three assists.  Banwareesingh scored 12, shooting 4-6 from distance, and tallied a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) hit double-digits for the sixth consecutive game with 10 points. She also added two rebounds and three assists.
 
Banwareesingh knocked down two early threes to put the River Hawks up 8-2 just three minutes into the opening frame. Idom hit another three to give UMass Lowell an 11-4 lead at the media timeout. Out of the break, the River Hawks pushed the lead to 14-5, but an 8-0 run brought the Retrievers right back into the game. Back-and-forth scoring saw UMass Lowell take 19-16 lead after 10 minutes. Banwareesingh shot 3-4 from distance for nine points in the first quarter.
 
The Retrievers came out and pushed the pace in the second quarter. Janee'a Summers carried the offense, knocking down two big threes as UMBC took a 26-21 lead. Freshmen Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) both scored off the bench to bring UMass Lowell within one at the media timeout. Both teams had scoring troubles in the second quarter, neither able to extend a lead and take control of the game until sophmore Baylee Teal (Penfield, N.Y.) drove to the lane and scored to give UMass Lowell the lead once again. Banwareesingh and Idom combined for 17 as the River Hawks took a 34-32 lead into the half. Summers carried the UMBC offense, scoring 17 first half points.
 
UMBC jumped in front early in the second half, but the River Hawks responded. The teams exchanged baskets for the first four minutes of the third. Foul trouble was an issue for the River Hawks, as the team picked up 10 fouls in just over 23 minutes played. UMBC lead 40-38 at the media break. Back-and-forth scoring continued through the quarter until the Retrievers went on a 12-2 run and opened a 57-47 lead to close out the third.
 
The River Hawks needed a spark in the fourth to get back into the game. The defense held strong, and UMass Lowell was able to chip away at the lead, bringing the score to 63-56, forcing UMBC to call timeout.  The defense kept the Retrievers off the board but scoring woes for the River Hawks continued as the team failed to capitalize on the offensive end.
 
UMass Lowell went scoreless for over three minutes before Denise Solis knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the UMBC lead to 63-58 with three and a half minutes to play. Solis then hit another pair from the stripe to make it a one possession game just a minute later. Sophomore Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.)  knocked down a big three to tie the game and Solis' layup put the River Hawks back in front late. Another strong move from Solis extended the UMass Lowell lead to 67-63 with 29.2 seconds to play. UMBC got a big basket and fouled Finley with five seconds left in the game. The freshman hit both free throws to give the River Hawks a 69-65 lead. Dana Marquez hit a three with 3.4 seconds to make it a one-point game again. On the inbound, sophomore Leilani Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.) was fouled and hit one of two. The River Hawks held on for a 70-68 win to complete the season sweep of UMBC.
 
Up Next: Mon. February 14 vs. Binghamton – 5 p.m. (Costello Athletic Center)