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LOWELL, Mass. – The fifth ranked UMass Lowell women's basketball team (11-15, 8-9 AE) will travel to Newark, N.J. to take on the fourth ranked NJIT Highlanders (14-14, 9-8 AE) in a quarterfinal matchup in the America East Championship. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center.
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks enter Saturday after knocking off the Hartford Hawks 64-54 on February 28 to close out the season. Kaylen Banwareesingh recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Baylee Teal added 14 points while Kharis Idom scored 12 and tallied five boards. The River Hawks close the regular season winning two of their last three games.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Quarterfinal Appearances:
(2018-19) @ UMBC L, 65-73
(2019-20) vs. UMBC W, 66-58
(2020-21) vs. NJIT W, 72-52
Semifinal Appearances:
(2019-20) @ Maine L, 54-67
(2020-21) @ Stony Brook L, 75-55
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT enters the postseason after dropping the last two games of the regular season to New Hampshire (58-54) and Hartford (67-66, OT). The Highlanders have won both previous meetings between the teams this season. Kenna Squier leads the team averaging 11.1 points per game while Lyzi Litwinko averages 10.7 points per game. Both Squier and Litwinko received AE All-Conference Third Team honors.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would be a first win against NJIT this season. A win would also mean a third straight semifinal appearance for the River Hawks.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Kharis Idom is averaging a team-high 10.0 points per game and leads the team with 41 made threes this season. Denise Solis is averaging 9.5 points per game and has a team-high 114 rebounds through 26 games. Shamyjha Price and Kharis Idom have each recorded 32 steals on the year. Amaya Dowdy leads the team with 19 blocks and Solis is close behind with 15 on the year.
 
FRESHMAN IMPACT
Ivory Finley has had a big impact for the River Hawks in her rookie campaign. The freshman has scored 139 points in 23 games and six starts this season. She has also tallied 90 rebounds and 26 steals. Finley was named to the America East All-Rookie Team on March 3.
 
IDOM ON THE PRIZE
After picking up eight points against Stony Brook on February 23, Kharis Idom became the second River Hawk in the Division I era to surpass 1,000 career points. She sits second in all-time points in the Division I era at UMass Lowell.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
As a unit, the River Hawks have hit 145 threes through 26 games, shooting 34.6% from behind the arc. Kharis Idom leads the team with 41 made 3FGís. Kaylen Banwareesingh (22), Jaini Edmonds (19), Shamyjha Price (19) and Ivory Finley (12) have hit double-digit triples this season. The River Hawks have the best 3FG% in the conference.