LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (9-11, 6-5 AE) held off the Binghamton Bearcats (5-17, 1-11 AE) for a 63-52 victory at the Costello Athletic Center on Monday night.
 
Senior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.) led all scorers with 17 points, her sixth straight game scoring double-digits. Junior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 11 boards. Fellow junior Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) added 10 points and six rebounds in the win.
 
It was a slow start to the game, with both teams playing games just two days prior. The River Hawks opened the game on a 5-0 run before Binghamton scored its first points of the quarter over three minutes in.  At the media timeout, the score was tied 6-6, with both teams trying to take control of the play. UMass Lowell and Binghamton struggled from the floor out of the media break, scoring a combined seven points through the end of the quarter. The River Hawks led 12-7 after 10 minutes, shooting 31% from the field.
 
UMass Lowell found a spark after a block from Solis led to a transition three from Idom, pushing the River Hawks' lead to 19-9. Sophomore Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) knocked down another triple as UMass Lowell gained control of the game. Binghamton's defense picked up the pace, making offensive possessions uncomfortable for the River Hawks. At the media timeout, UMass Lowell led 24-13, looking to stay hot from the field. It was the Bearcats who came out stronger after the media break, going on a 13-8 run to cut the lead to 32-26 at the half. UMass Lowell shot 37.9% from the field and went 5-10 from distance. The Bearcats shot 37.9% from the field as well, but only 1-5 from behind the arc.
 
The second half started with more energy than the first, but the scoring woes continued for both teams. The Bearcats were able to cut into the lead a bit more, trailing by seven at the midway point of the quarter. UMass Lowell needed another spark which came from the senior Idom once again, getting a difficult one-handed layup to fall, to give the River Hawks a 39-30 lead at the media break. Solis' layup put UMass Lowell back up by double-digits as Binghamton called a timeout trailing by eleven. The River Hawks hit a scoring drought over 2:43 to close out the quarter before Edmonds knocked down a long-range jumper as time expired.
 
A three from Hayley Moore brought the Bearcats within seven, forcing the River Hawks to call a timeout with 8:12 left in the fourth. Freshman Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) finished a sweet feed from Edmonds right out of the break and a shot clock violation on the other end allowed UMass Lowell a chance to extend the lead even more. Freshman Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) did just that, knocking down a jumper to put the River Hawks back in front by eleven. Binghamton continued to hang around and capitalized on missed chances for the River Hawks. Trailing 53-46 with 4:31 left, the Bearcats called timeout to try and find a way to close the gap. Missed opportunities on the offensive end gave Binghamton the green light, as they cut the lead to 55-51 with just over three minutes to play. Banwareesingh hit a big triple with just over a minute left in the game to give the River Hawks a seven-point lead. UMass Lowell held on to win 62-53. As a unit, the River Hawks shot 44% from the field and 53.8% from distance, shooting 7-13. UMass Lowell outrebounded Binghamton, but the Bearcats won the battle down low, outscoring the River Hawks 30-22 in the paint.
 
Up next, UMass Lowell will host NJIT on Wednesday, February 16 at the Costello Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.