TROY, N.Y. – Junior Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) tied her career-high scoring 18 points, shooting 4-5 from behind the arc as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (2-18, 1-9 AE) fell to the UAlbany Great Danes (15-9, 9-1 AE) on Wednesday night.
 
Senior Kaylen Banwareesingh (Bronx, N.Y.) recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Amaya Dowdy (Woonsocket, R.I.) was all over the scoresheet with eight rebounds, six points, four blocks and one steal.
 
Senior Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) played another 40 minutes for the River Hawks, tallying nine points and three rebounds, and led the team with five assists.
 
UMass Lowell got off to a great start, opening the game with a 6-1 scoring and stifling defense that kept the hosts out of an offensive rhythm. After back-to-back scores from Edmonds and Banwareesingh, the Great Danes got a timely jumper from Fatima Lee to cut the lead to four. UAlbany's defensive pressure picked up out of the media timeout but a bank shot from Ivory Finley in the final minute gave the River Hawks a 15-9 lead after one. The visitors shot 54%, going 7-13 from the field.
 
Kaylen Banwareesingh and Jaini Edmonds combined to extend the River Hawks' lead to 10 points early in the second. UAlbany's Haegerstrand and Banwareesingh exchanged triples before the hosts rallied to cut the lead to four. UMass Lowell went just over three minutes without scoring until Amaya Dowdy's jumper ended the drought. Despite not shooting well in the first half, just 30%, the Great Danes' 11-2 run over six and a half minutes brought them within one as the half came to an end. Jaini Edmonds was fouled as time expired and hit both free throws to give the River Hawks a 27-24 lead, shooting 48% from the field at the half.
 
UMass Lowell was slow to start the second half, struggling to make shots as UAlbany cut the lead to one early in the third quarter. Banwareesingh hit a pair of free throws gave the River Hawks a three-point lead before a 9-0 run gave the Great Danes a five-point edge. Jaini Edmonds knocked down a triple to break a scoreless drought of over three minutes, but Ellen Hahne's layup as time expired put the hosts back in front by seven at the end of the third. UMass Lowell shot 14% from the field in the third.
 
Helene Haegerstrand's three gave UAlbany it's largest lead of the night at 10 points early in the final frame. Six straight points for the River Hawks cut the lead to four before Haegerstrand's jumper ended the run. The Great Danes' defense was stronger in the second half, but the River Hawks would not go away, shooting 75% in the first five minutes of the quarter. Jaini Edmonds knocked down her fourth three of the night to cut the lead to 49-46 with just over four minutes to play. The Great Danes rallied with a 4-0 run to give the hosts breathing room late in the game and held off a late surge to secure the victory.
 
Next up, the River Hawks visit NJIT on Saturday, February 4 for an afternoon matchup. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center.