NEWARK, N.J. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (11-16, 8-10 AE) fell to the NJIT Highlanders (15-14, 10-8 AE) on Saturday afternoon. The River Hawks' season comes to an end.
 
Sophomore Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) led the team with nine points and added four boards. Fellow sophomore Baylee Teal (Penfield, N.Y.) scored eight and picked up two steals. Freshman Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) and junior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) grabbed six rebounds each to lead the team.
 
UMass Lowell had plenty of energy from the start, applying pressure on every possession. The River Hawks led 8-4 at the media break. Freshman Ivory Finley's (Minneapolis, Minn.) knocked down a triple to push the lead to 13-7, giving the River Hawks all the momentum. The Highlanders closed the quarter with four straight points to cut the UMass Lowell lead to 13-11 after one. Junior Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) picked up three steals in the opening frame.
 
NJIT picked up the pressure and forced the River Hawks into early turnovers in the second quarter. Both teams struggled to make shots early on, with the Highlanders going just over three minutes without a basket, until Maria Fux knocked down a triple to give the hosts the lead. The River Hawks were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes before junior Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Penn.) made a layup to end the drought. The River Hawks led 15-14 at the media break. The Highlanders regained the lead out of the timeout and held a slim 18-17 lead at the half.
 
The Highlanders opened the half with four straight points, forcing the River Hawks into an early timeout. UMass Lowell struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the third quarter and was held scoreless for over four minutes of play. NJIT extended the lead to 24-17 midway through the quarter. One free throw from Finley ended the scoring drought for the River Hawks, making is a 24-18 game. UMass Lowell continued to struggle from the floor as NJIT led 34-24 after three.
 
The River Hawks found life in the fourth and applied relentless pressure to cut the lead to 34-27, forcing NJIT to call timeout with just under eight minutes left in the game. UMass Lowell continued to battle, cutting the lead to eight with 3:43 left to play. The Highlanders held on and won 47-33, advancing to the semifinal game.