LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (1-14, 0-5 AE) fell to the Binghamton Bearcats (10-8, 3-2 AE) in an action-packed conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
 
Senior Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) scored a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers and added four assists and one steal. Sophomore Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) added 13 points and three assists while fellow sophomore Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) scored 10 points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Tasha Lima (Roslindale, Mass.) scored her first collegiate points, totaling four on the afternoon and added in two steals.
 
"Our margin of error is really, especially with the talent level in this conference. We have to do a better job at collecting loose balls, controlling our emotions and being smart on the floor,"
 said head coach Denise King. "I'm extremely proud of our team and how they battled back time and time again, in the second quarter and the second half. Also, happy to see everyone get on the scoresheet today, we have a lot of scoring threats and it was good to see the girls get rewarded in that regard."
 
Binghamton came out strong shooting 3-4 from behind the arc in the first four minutes to take an early 11-4 lead. The River Hawks could not get an offensive rhythm to start the game and the visitors stretched the lead to 16-4 at the first media break. Out of the break, Tasha Lima scored her first collegiate points to give UMass Lowell life. Good defensive work and back-to-back scores from Ivory Finley brought the River Hawks within nine with just under three to play in the opening frame. Binghamton shot 7-9 from deep in the first to take a 26-16 lead after one.
 
Freshman Ella Ner (Bene Atarot, Israel) knocked down a triple on the opening possession of the second quarter to keep the River Hawks' momentum going. UMass Lowell found life on both ends of the floor, making big stops as Jaliena Sanchez hit three of four shots to bring the River Hawks within five. Ner knocked down a pair of free throws as the hosts clawed their way back into the game, trailing by four at the media break. Senior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) got the River Hawks level before Binghamton jumped back in front, stopping a 14-4 run. Ivory Finley knocked down a three in the closing seconds of the second to give UMass Lowell a 37-36 at the half. Finley had 10 first half points on 4-4 shooting to lead the River Hawks. As a unit, UMass Lowell shot 56% from the field in the first half.
 
The River Hawks came out with great energy in the third quarter and extended their lead to five after Ivory Finley knocked down yet another three. After a stop on the defensive end, Jaliena Sanchez hit another triple as the River Hawks held a 47-43 lead at the media timeout. Binghamton stayed hot from behind the arc and another triple brought the visitors back within one. The Bearcats rallied late in the quarter, but five points from Jaliena Sanchez to close the quarter had the game tied at 54 heading into the final frame.
 
A pair of free throws from Amaya Dowdy opened the scoring in the fourth and put the River Hawks back in front. Binghamton answered with a 13-0 run to jump ahead by eleven at the final media timeout.  Out of the break, the Bearcats held off the UMass Lowell pressure and went on another 5-0 run, stretching the lead to fourteen. Trailing by 10 with two minutes to play, UMass Lowell picked up the pressure looking to battle back into the game. Amaya Dowdy hit two free throws late to cut the lead to six with 30 seconds to play as Binghamton called timeout. The River Hawks battled until the buzzer, but the Bearcats hit free throws down the stretch to win 77-68.
 
Next up, the River Hawks head to Maryland to take on UMBC in another midweek matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 18 at the UMBC Event Center.