VESTAL, N.Y. – After battling within a possession through the opening quarter, the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (8–19, 2–12 AE) was unable to match Binghamton's second-quarter surge, falling 69–44 to the Bearcats (18–9, 10–4 AE) on Saturday afternoon at the Events Center.
"We fought the entire game and I'm proud of our effort despite the result," commented head coach Jon Plefka. "Shots weren't falling for us, unfortunately, but that's basketball. They are a top team in our conference for a reason, and they showed it. It was a 1–1 weekend for us, and we're looking forward to our senior night Thursday!"
The River Hawks set the tone early, scoring first on a fast-break finish from senior guard Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) and competing throughout the opening quarter. Edmonds powered through contact for a key three-point play during the stretch, while junior guard Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio) added points at the line and senior guard Amina Kameric (Seattle, Wash.) knocked down a three from the wing to keep Lowell within a possession. Edmonds closed the period with a late triple as the River Hawks trailed just 17–15 after one.
Binghamton created separation in the second, turning defense into offense and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to build its lead. Lowell got a finish from sophomore forward Nia Chima (Toronto, Ontario) off a takeaway and a second-chance basket from Kameric, but the Bearcats closed the half on a late push to take a 36–22 advantage into the break.
Out of halftime, the River Hawks looked to chip away. Gilmore scored inside to open the third and Kameric connected from three in transition to trim the deficit. Gilmore later added a jumper and free throws during a brief push, but Binghamton answered and carried a 57–37 lead into the fourth.
Edmonds led the River Hawks with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists. Gilmore added 13 points, while Kameric chipped in 11 with three three-pointers.
The River Hawks return home to close out the regular season against Vermont on Thursday before traveling to UMBC for the regular-season finale on Saturday.
