BURLINGTON, Vt. — The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (6-13, 0-6 AE) dropped an 82–46 decision at Vermont (16–5, 5-1 AE) on Thursday afternoon at Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium.
"They jumped on us from the first possession, and we had no answer," stated head coach Jon Plefka. "It's very disappointing with the game plan we had in place, but our overall lack of execution, toughness, and defensive effort throughout led to the result. At least our third quarter was much better than it has been, which is a positive sign going forward. Saturday will be another battle, and we look forward to the opportunity to play at home again."
Vermont seized control immediately, opening the game on a 17–3 run behind multiple second-chance threes and early interior finishes. Senior guard Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) briefly answered with back-to-back triples to cut the deficit to 10–3, but the Catamounts continued to build momentum, closing the first quarter ahead 27–13.
The Catamounts stretched the margin in the second, capitalizing on turnovers and offensive rebounds to take a 46–23 lead into halftime.
Lowell found a better rhythm coming out of the break. Edmonds opened the third quarter with a fast-break layup, and junior guard Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio) later knocked down a three during a brief push that trimmed the gap to 52–31 midway through the period. The River Hawks continued to trade baskets, closing the quarter on a second-chance three from Edmonds to pull within 62–42 entering the fourth.
Vermont quickly reasserted control in the final frame, opening the fourth on an 8–2 run before closing on a 20–4 surge to secure the victory.
Edmonds led the River Hawks with 16 points, connecting on 4-of-6 from three-point range, while adding three assists. Freshman guard Tyanna Medina (Lawrence, Mass.) contributed nine points, and forwards Adna Halilbasic (Recklinghausen, Germany) and Anabel Latorre Ciria (Zaragoza, Spain) pulled down six rebounds a piece.
The River Hawks return home Saturday for a 1 p.m. matchup against UMBC.
