LOWELL, Mass. – Conference play rolls on as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (3-15, 3-3 AE) will head to Burlington to take on the Vermont Catamounts (12-7, 4-1 AE) for a Thursday morning matchup.
 
January 25 at Vermont (ESPN+ - 11:00 a.m.)
 
Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks head to Vermont after dropping both conference contests last week. UMass Lowell fell to UAlbany on Thursday before falling in a tightly contested game against Binghamton on Saturday. Sydney Watkins and Abbey Lindsey hit double digit points against the Great Danes, combing for 29 points. Watkins added six rebounds and four assists. Mili Carrera, Leilani Rodriguez and Rayne Durant all scored double figures against Binghamton while Watkins added eight boards, eight points and three steals. The River Hawks will look to get back in the win column against a strong opponent in a difficult road environment.
 
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont sits second in the league with a 4-1 conference record. The Catamounts have defeated New Hampshire, UMBC, NJIT and Binghamton so far this season with the one defeat coming against Maine. Since the loss to the Black Bears, Vermont has won three straight games, including two on the road. Emma Utterback leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. Anna Olson is also averaging double figures at 11.5 points per game and leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Vermont has won the last five meetings between the teams.
 
ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
Rayne Durant was named the America East Rookie of the Week on January15 after two big performances against NJIT and UMBC. The New Haven native has scored double figures in her last three games and totaled 23 rebounds. She recorded her first career double-double in the 59-46 win over UMBC, with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would snap a two-game losing skid for the River Hawks and a first win over Vermont since 2020. A win would also be a fourth win in conference play this season.
 
INTO THE RECORD BOOK
Sydney Watkins has led the squad in assists all season, dishing out 59 on the year to sit fifth in the league. The redshirt-junior tallied 10 assists against NJIT on January 11 to become the first River Hawk to do so in six years. Watkins is now tied for first in Division I program history and tied for sixth in program history for her performance against NJIT.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Mili Carrera leads the squad averaging 10.3 points per game while Sydney Watkins leads the rebounding unit with 6.2 per game. Rayne Durant is the team's leading blocker with 19 on the season. Mili Carrera and Leilani Rodriguez are shooting 34% and 38% from three, respectively, and Cire Worley leads the team with 17 of 20 made free throws. Watkins leads the team with 56 steals and 59 assists through 18 games, leading the league in steals and sitting fifth in assists.