NEWARK, N.J. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (2-13, 2-1 AE) picked up a huge road conference win with a thrilling 70-67 win over the NJIT Highlanders (8-7, 0-2 AE) on Thursday morning.
 
Four River Hawks hit double figures in the victory, led by a team-high 18 points from graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru). Freshman Cire Worley (Philadelphia, Penn.) added 15, including shooting 4-6 from three, and a team-high three steals. Fellow freshman Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) scored 14 and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while senior Leilani Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.) tallied 11 points, five rebounds and one assist.
 
Redshirt-junior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, In.) recorded 10 assists on the afternoon, tying the Division I program record for assists in a game and she is now tied for sixth in program history with her 10-assist performance against the Highlanders.

"It's been a long road to get here and I'm extremely proud of our kids for their fight today," said head coach Denise King. "We played together and did not quit today. We have the players that can put up double figures consistently. The biggest thing today was our ability to share the ball, 18 assists is great to see. [Cire Worley] has been a great spark for us all season. People talk about the threes and her shooting, but today I was impressed with her defensive work."
 
Leilani Rodriguez and Mili Carrera knocked down shots on the first two possessions to give UMass Lowell an early 5-0 lead. The Highlanders answered the early surge to cut into the lead, but the River Hawks led 11-6 at the first media. Rayne Durant tallied four rebounds and two blocks in the first quarter while Mili Carrera was perfect from the field with five points.
 
Out of the media timeout, the UMass Lowell defense continued to frustrate NJIT, holding them scoreless for over four minutes. The Highlanders found life in the final minute and cut the lead to one after 10 minutes.
 
Rodriguez hit a three to put the River Hawks back in front, but an immediate response from NJIT tied the game early in the second quarter. Back-and-forth action saw the lead change each possession and the physicality of the game increased midway through the second. Four consecutive scores from NJIT gave the hosts a 29-22 lead at the second media.
 
After big shots from Rayne Durant and Leilani Rodriguez, Cire Worley knocked down a pair of free throws to get the River Hawks within six as the final two minutes of the half were approaching. Mili Carrera's three at the buzzer gave UMass Lowell a huge lift heading into the half, trailing by three.
 
NJIT opened the second half with a 5-0 run before Sydney Watkins' layup got UMass Lowell off and running. The River Hawks hit five of six shots to cut the deficit down to five at the midway mark of the third quarter. Maddie Rice and Abbey Lindsey made big shots, providing the spark for the visitors. The Highlanders led by seven at the media break.
 
The River Hawks erased a 10-point deficit behind threes from Rodriguez and Carrera, but the Highlanders held a two-possession advantage with just under two to play in the frame. Rayne Durant's floater as the shot clock expired made it a four-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
 
After going behind by six early in the quarter, Cire Worley knocked down a three to make it a one-possession game. Rayne Durant's jumper cut the lead to one with just under seven to play. Three consecutive stops gave the River Hawks a chance to take the lead and they did just that behind another three from Worley. The freshman hit her third triple of the quarter to extend the lead to 66-61 behind an 11-0 run, forcing NJIT into a timeout.
 
The Highlanders battled back to cut the deficit to one with 2:49 to play and the River Hawks called timeout. NJIT took the lead with two minutes to go before Rayne Durant's strong layup gave the visitors the lead with 1:08 remaining.
 
UMass Lowell got a huge stop and defensive rebound from Worley and advanced the ball with 10.2 seconds to play. Mili Carrera hit one of two from the line giving UMass Lowell a two-point lead. With 7.8 to play, NJIT called timeout to advance the ball. Rayne Durant came up with a big block and Rodriguez was fouled, sending the veteran to the line to shoot two.
 
Rodriguez hit one of two and big stop again on the defensive end secured a thrilling 70-67 victory for the River Hawks in Newark. UMass Lowell improves to 2-1 in conference play and will travel to UMBC to take on the Retrievers on Saturday afternoon.