NEWARK, N.J. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (9-14, 6-8 AE) fell to the NJIT Highlanders (14-12, 9-6 AE) by a score of 58-51 on Monday night.
 
Junior Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Penn.) led the team with 11 points and added five boards and two steals. Fellow junior Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) added six points and six rebounds on the night. Freshman Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored 10 and picked up four rebounds.
 
It was a low scoring game to start, as NJIT had a slight 7-4 advantage at the media break. Neither side could find an offensive rhythm early on. The River Hawks defense showed up early with three blocks in the opening five minutes of the game. UMass Lowell came out of the break on an 10-2 run to lead 14-9. The River Hawk defense swarmed the Highlanders, forcing them into tough shots and turnovers.
 
Solis scored the first points for UMass Lowell in the second quarter. Freshman Amaya Dowdy's (Woonsocket, R.I.) steal-and-score pushed the River Hawks' lead to 18-9, forcing the Highlanders to call timeout. NJIT got on the board with just under five minutes to play in the half with a three to cut the lead to 18-12. Both sides struggled to make shots in a low-scoring first half. UMass Lowell shot 9-29 from the field and led 24-18 at the break.
 
The River Hawks defense continued to play well out of the half, taking drawing offensive fouls to keep the Highlanders off the board early. NJIT's offense did get a spark after a three from Ellyn Stoll started a 7-0 run cut the River Hawk lead to three. UMass Lowell struggled to make shots, going on a scoreless drought of 4:20, forcing King to call timeout. Sophomore Erin Lofaro (Marlboro, N.Y.) ended the drought with a layup which was followed by a layup from Price, pushing the lead to seven. The Highlanders battled to make it a 34-31 game heading into the final frame.
 
The Highlanders tied the game with a three and then took their first lead since the first quarter at 36-34 early in the fourth quarter. Junior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.)  answered with a layup to set up a thrilling finish in Newark. NJIT led 41-39 at the media timeout and hit a three right after to push the advantage to four points. The Highlanders would extend the lead to 49-42 with another triple with 2:12 left to play. UMass Lowell battled late, with Finley and sophomore Baylee Teal (Penfield, N.Y.)  hitting back-to-back threes, forcing NJIT to convert from the free throw line. The Highlanders did just that and held on to win 58-51.