LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (8–20, 2–13 AE) fell to Vermont (24–7, 13–3 AE), 68–37, on Thursday night at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex in the River Hawks' final home game of the 2025–26 season.
"Vermont is such a phenomenal team and they showed why they're at the top of our division," commented head coach Jon Plefka. "I thought we had a solid game plan in place, but they do a great job of taking advantage of every mistake. I'm proud of our effort and the way we battled, especially Kiki coming back with 10 points and six rebounds. Now it's about finishing strong on Saturday and putting our best foot forward."
Vermont opened the scoring, but senior guard Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) answered quickly, knocking down a three-pointer to give Lowell a 3–2 edge early in the first quarter. The River Hawks forced a pair of early turnovers, including two steals from senior guard Amina Kameric (Seattle, Wash.), as Lowell looked to set the tone defensively. However, the Catamounts found their rhythm and closed the period on a 14–4 run to take a 16–7 lead.
In the second quarter, junior Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio) attacked the rim for a pair of finishes in the paint, while Kameric converted a second-chance layup to keep Lowell within reach. Vermont extended its margin late in the half, taking a 34–13 advantage into the break.
Lowell delivered its strongest stretch coming out of halftime. Sophomore forward Klimentina Modeva (Ohrid, North Macedonia) sparked the third quarter with a putback and a driving finish inside, part of a personal 10-point effort on 5-for-7 shooting. Kameric added a three-pointer from the wing during a 7–0 River Hawk push, and Gilmore completed an and-one in the paint midway through the frame as Lowell showed renewed energy on both ends.
The River Hawks finished with a 20–18 edge in points in the paint and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, generating multiple second-chance opportunities throughout the night. Edmonds and Gilmore each added nine points, while the Lowell bench contributed 14.
Vermont shot 41.8 percent from the field and recorded 26 points off turnovers to secure the win.
The River Hawks will close out the regular season on Saturday at UMBC.
