LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (2-16, 1-7 AE) fell to the Maine Black Bears (10-9, 6-1 AE) 61-50 in front of a lively crowd on Wednesday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.
 
Graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) led the team with 16 points and added five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Sophomore Ivory Finley (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored 12 points and tallied two rebounds and one block. Fellow sophomore Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) led all players with three blocks while scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds.
 
"We love having the kids come in for games. They're always loud and excited and it's one of our favorite days of the year," said head coach Denise King. "On the court, though, it was not our best day. If you're not ready to go from the start, you're not going to win in this league. Every game is important and that's how everyone is playing, and we need to be ready to play."
 
The Tsongas Center was jumping as local schools filled the arena on Field Trip Day. Both teams came out with plenty of energy to start the game. After going scoreless for over two and half minutes, Maine went on an 8-0 run to open a 17-8 lead at the end of the quarter. The River Hawks struggled to take care of the ball in the opening frame, turning the ball over eight times.
 
Both teams struggled from the field in the opening minutes of the second quarter, each side shooting 1-4 over four minutes in. Maine held a ten-point lead at the midway mark before a big three from Ivory Finley sparked life in the crowd and the River Hawks and cut the Black Bears' lead to seven at the media timeout. Out of the break, Maine took control of the game and stretched their lead to 24-18 to end the half. UMass Lowell shot 33% in the first half and had 11 turnovers.
 
Maine's Adrianna Smith scored ten straight points to open the second half, extending the visitor's lead to 15 as the game approached the midway point of the third. UMass Lowell went scoreless over two minutes, making just one of eight shots, and trailed 36-21 at the media. Ivory Finley's layup snapped a scoreless streak for the River Hawks but missed opportunities on the offensive end allowed the Black Bears to maintain a comfortable lead. Maine took a 47-26 advantage into the final frame.
 
The fourth quarter was the best quarter for the River Hawks as they outscored Maine 24-14 and shot 64% from the field. Mili Carrera's early and-one followed by a tough layup by Ivory Finley gave UMass Lowell life once again to start the final frame. Defensive pressure ramped up and the River Hawks forced Maine into back-to-back turnovers capped off by a layup from sophomore Tasha Lima (Roslindale, Mass.), forcing the visitors to call timeout. Carrera stayed hot and another bucket chipped away at the deficit. Despite a strong push from the hosts, the Black Bears defense improved following the media timeout and Maine went on to win the game 61-50.
 
The River Hawks return to action Saturday, January 28 to host New Hampshire. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m. at the Tsongas Center. Prior to tip, there will be a special senior night ceremony to celebrate UMass Lowell's graduating class.