LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (2-19, 1-10 AE) will host the Vermont Catamounts (17-6, 9-2 AE) in the first of back-to-back home games over the next five days. The River Hawks and Catamounts are set for a 1:00 p.m. tip at the Costello Athletic Center on Saturday, February 11.
 
Saturday's game will be the annual Spread Respect Game for the River Hawks, as well as the team's Pride Game and Alumni Day.
 
February 11 vs. Vermont (ESPN+ -- 1 p.m.)
 
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All-Time Series: UMass Lowell is 9-10 against Vermont in program history.
 
First Meeting:      December 1, 2013 (UVM, 95-82)
Last Meeting:       January 11, 2023 (UVM, 42-37)
 
The River Hawks and Catamounts meet for the 20th time in program history. Vermont won the previous meeting this season in Burlington.
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks fell to 1-10 in conference play on Saturday night after dropping a 68-50 contest at NJIT. Jaliena Sanchez had an impressive night, scoring 21 points on 9-13 shooting and added four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Ivory Finley scored 10, shooting 2-3 from distance. Mili Carrera played 31 minutes off the bench again for the River Hawks, scoring five and tallying two rebounds and two assists. UMass Lowell will look to get back in the win column with a victory over the Catamounts.
 
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont comes to Lowell on a nine-game winning streak. The Catamounts have won nine straight America East games after dropping the first two league games of the season. Vermont sits second in the league and has taken down the conference's top teams, UAlbany and Maine, in its last two games. Three players are averaging double figures with Emma Utterback leading the way at 13.9 points per game. She also leads the team with 100 assists and 26 steals. The Catamounts are shooting 43% from the field this season and 38% from behind the arc.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would snap a four-game losing streak for the River Hawks. A win would also even the season series with Vermont and a snap a four-game skid against the Catamounts dating back to the 2020-21 season.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Following another impressive offensive performance, Jaliena Sanchez leads the team averaging 9.4 points a game and two points shy of 200 points on the year. The senior also leads the team with 76 assists and 30 steals through 21 games this season. Amaya Dowdy has been a force in the paint all season, leading the team with 40 blocks and sitting atop the conference averaging 1.9 blocks per game. Mili Carrera is shooting 83% from the line, knocking down 19 of 23 free throws this season. Four other River Hawks are shooting 74% or above from the line this year. Kaylen Banwareesingh has collected a team-high 153 rebounds, averaging 8.1 per game. Banwareesingh and Dowdy are the most efficient on the team, shooting 39% from the field.
 
WATCH THOSE HANDS
Through 21 games this season, UMass Lowell has tallied 145 steals. Jaliena Sanchez leads the team with 30 while Ivory Finley has tallied 25. Mili Carrera has 19 and Kaylen Banwareesingh, Amaya Dowdy, Ella Ner and Jaini Edmonds have tallied double digits steals. As a unit, UMass Lowell had a season-best 14 steals against Boston University.
 
CONFERENCE RANKS
The River Hawks rank first in the conference in blocks per game with 3.8 through 21 games. Amaya Dowdy leads the league averaging 1.9 blocks per game. The team sits fourth in the league with 7.0 steals per game and Jaliena Sanchez is seventh in the conference with 1.4 steals per game. Kaylen Banwareesingh is fourth in the league with 8.1 rebounds per game.
 
FREE THROWS
UMass Lowell is 73% from the free throw line as a unit and fourth in the league. Jaliena Sanchez has made 52 of her 70 attempts and Ivory Finley is 50-65. Jaini Edmonds has been solid from the stripe at 23-29 and Mili Carrera is 19-23 this season.