LOWELL, Mass. – America East action is set to begin this week as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-12, 0-0 AE) opens the league schedule against the Maine Black Bears (7-7, 0-0 AE) on Thursday before hosting the New Hampshire Wildcats (6-7, 0-0 AE) on Saturday.
 
January 4 vs. Maine (ESPN+ - 6:00 p.m.)
 
Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
January 6 vs. New Hampshire (ESPN+ - 2:00 p.m.)
 
Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
LOOKING AT UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks enter conference play searching for their first win of the season. The non-conference slate ended with a 65-45 defeat to Colgate before the new year. Despite going winless, the non-conference schedule provided strong opponent and valuable lessons for a young, new-look UMass Lowell team. The River Hawks will look to right the ship and get to winning ways as America East action begins.  
 
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Maine sits at .500 as conference play begins, dropping its last two contests against Tulane and Penn. The Black Bears have several big results this season, including victories over Fordham and Rhode Island and a narrow eight-point loss against #17 Indiana. Anne Simon and Adriana Smith have been great so far this season, both averaging double digits. Smith is averaging a double double through 14 games this season.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire finished the non-conference slate with a 6-7 record, closing it out with a 73-52 win over Wagner on December 21. The Wildcats will travel to Vermont on Thursday before visiting the River Hawks for a Saturday afternoon tilt. Avery O'Connor leads the team in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per game while Clara Gomez averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. O'Connor and Breezie Williams are shooting over 30% from behind the arc and the Wildcats shoot 77% from the free throw line.
 
NEW LOOK SQUAD
This season's roster has a new look with five freshmen and three transfer students. The River Hawks welcomed the veteran presence of Sydney Watkins and Alex Gitchenko to help lead the group of first years as they settle into the college game. Abbey Lindsey, Maddie Rice and Rayne Durant have seen the most time on the floor this season while Cire Worley and Gabby Ross have been solid off the bench.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win would be the first victory of the season for the River Hawks and the first win over Maine since January 19, 2022. UMass Lowell has just two wins over the Black Bears in 22 previous meetings.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Mili Carrera leads the squad averaging 9.9 points per game while Sydney Watkins leads the rebounding unit with 6.3 per game. Rayne Durant is the team's leading blocker with 10 on the season. Carrera and Abbey Lindsey are both shooting around 30% from three and Cire Worley remains near perfect from the free throw line. Watkins leads the team with 38 steals and 36 assists through 12 games, leading the league in steals and sitting eighth in assists.