LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (2-12, 0-2 AE) prepares to take on America East opponents Vermont (6-10, 1-1 AE) and NJIT (4-10, 1-0 AE) this week. First, the River Hawks will head to Burlington, Vt. to play the Catamounts on Thursday, January 9 with a tipoff scheduled for 11 am. To follow, UMass Lowell will travel to Newark, N.J. to take on the Highlanders on Saturday, Jan. 11 with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
January 9 @ Vermont
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January 11 @ NJIT
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Last Time Out for the River Hawks
The River Hawks most recently faced UAlbany at home, falling 53-39 to the Great Danes.
Sophomore Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) had a team best of 15 points, with four rebounds and two assists. Redshirt-senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 13 points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist. Senior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) led the team in rebounds with seven.
Scouting the Catamounts
Vermont took on New Hampshire this past Saturday and was victorious, with a final score of 72-52. Bella Vito guided the team with 16 points, shooting 8-11 from the field. She also contributed with six rebounds, one assist and one block. Catherine Gilwee and Nikola Priede followed with 10 points apiece.
Anna Olson currently averages 14.3 points per game for the Catamounts, while Vito is leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and has recorded 32 steals. Gilwee has totaled 61 assists, and Priede has tallied 12 blocks on the season.
Vermont Matchup History
The River Hawks hold a 9-13 all-time record versus the Catamounts.
Scouting the Highlanders
NJIT grabbed the 58-49 win versus Binghamton in their most recent contest. Olivia Kulyk recorded a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds, while also adding two assists and one steal.
Alejandra Zuniga averages 17.6 points per game and leads the Highlanders in assists with 53. Trinity Williams guides the team in rebounds per game with an average of 7.5. Enya Maguire has totaled 20 steals and Mackenzie Wright-Rawls and Williams are tied with nine blocks on the season.
NJIT Matchup History
The River Hawks hold a 5-7 all-time record against the Highlanders.
Leading UMass Lowell
Lindsey is averaging 10.7 points per game, leading the River Hawks. Sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) averages 6.9 rebounds per game while also having a team best of 10 blocks. Watkins leads UMass Lowell with 42 assists and 48 steals.
Around the America East
UMass Lowell is ranked second in steals, averaging 8.9 per game. The River Hawks hold fifth place for defensive rebounds, averaging 24.0 per game.
Watkins is first in the conference for steals (3.4 per game) and second for minutes played (33.5 per game), while Rice holds fifth place in rebounding (6.9 per game).
Up Next
Following this week's road trip, the River Hawks will head home to compete against Bryant in America East action at Costello Athletic Center on Saturday, January 18 with a tipoff at 1 p.m.
