LOWELL, Mass. – Redshirt-senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, as UMass Lowell (2-8) earned the 49-38 win versus Iona (2-7) on Tuesday evening at Costello Athletic Center. 

"I'm really excited for our team today," said Head Coach Denise King. "November was tough for us, and we were tested. Highlights for me today would be Sydney's double-double, which was really phenomenal, along with Maddie's team high of 15 rebounds was super great for us. The points in the paint were huge for us too. I think our inside game and our paint touches were key for us today." 

Along with her double-double, Watkins led the team in steals with five, adding three assists and one block. Sophomore Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) followed with 12 points, five rebounds and one block. Sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) had a team and career best of 15 rebounds, also contributing with nine points, one assist, one block and one steal. As a team, the River Hawks outshot their opponents from the floor, 39.2% to 25.0%. 

The River Hawks would score first at 8:30 thanks to a steal and a great pass from freshman Carla Subirats (Barcelona, Spain), who dished the ball to freshman Sille-Liis Mölder (Tallinn, Estonia) for the fast-break layup. UMass Lowell kept the lead for the entirety of the contest.  

Watkins and Durant tallied sequential layups with 6:28 to play in the second quarter, putting the team up by six, 15-9. UMass Lowell would head into the locker room for the half on a high note, as they continued to lead the Gaels, 20-16.  

Senior Amina Kameric (Seattle, Wash.) helped the River Hawks to a late 9-0 run in the third, notching five points. Senior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) tapped in the final points of the quarter at 0:46 on the clock to make it 37-24 UMass Lowell. 

Iona came into the fourth quarter in a hurry, as they put up five points, cutting the difference to 37-29. UMass Lowell kept its composure, though, as Durant recorded back-to-back layups to help the River Hawks to a seven-point scoring stretch with 2:14 to play.  The Gaels would score the last bucket, but it was not enough to defeat the River Hawks.  

The River Hawks are back at Costello Athletic Center on Thursday, December 12, as Boston University will visit, with a tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.