River Hawks Gear Up for Showdown with Vermont and NJIT!

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women’s basketball squad (2-12, 0-2 AE) is gearing up to face America East competitors Vermont (6-10, 1-1 AE) and NJIT (4-10, 1-0 AE) this week. First, the River Hawks will proceed to Burlington, Vt. to challenge the Catamounts on Thursday, January 9 with a scheduled tipoff at 11 am. Following that, UMass Lowell will make their way to Newark, N.J. to confront the Highlanders on Saturday, Jan. 11, with a tipoff planned 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 recently encountered UAlbany at home, losing 53-39 to the Great Danes.

Sophomore Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) led the team with 15 points, along with four rebounds and two assists. Redshirt-senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) contributed 13 points, six rebounds, two steals, and one assist. Senior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) topped the team in rebounds, grabbing seven.

Scouting the Catamounts

Vermont played against New Hampshire this past Saturday and secured a win, finishing with a score of 72-52. Bella Vito was the standout for the team with 16 points, shooting 8-11 from the floor. She also added six rebounds, one assist, and one block. Catherine Gilwee and Nikola Priede each contributed 10 points.

Anna Olson currently averages 14.3 points per game for the Catamounts, whereas Vito leads the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game and has tallied 32 steals. Gilwee has accumulated 61 assists, and Priede has recorded 12 blocks this season.

Vermont Matchup History

The River Hawks possess a 9-13 all-time record against the Catamounts.

Scouting the Highlanders

NJIT achieved a 58-49 victory over Binghamton in their most recent match. Olivia Kulyk registered a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds, alongside two assists and one steal.

Alejandra Zuniga averages 17.6 points per game and holds the title for most assists on the team with 53. Trinity Williams leads in rebounds per game with an average of 7.5. Enya Maguire has amassed 20 steals while Mackenzie Wright-Rawls and Williams are both tied with nine blocks during the season.

NJIT Matchup History

The River Hawks maintain a 5-7 all-time record against the Highlanders.

Leading UMass Lowell

Lindsey leads the River Hawks with an average of 10.7 points per game. Sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) averages 6.9 rebounds per game, in addition to having the highest block count on the team with 10. Watkins leads UMass Lowell in assists with 42 and steals with 48.

Around the America East

UMass Lowell is positioned second in steals, averaging 8.9 per game. The River Hawks sit in fifth for defensive rebounds, averaging 24.0 per contest.

Watkins ranks first in the conference for steals (3.4 per game) and second in minutes played (33.5 per game), while Rice holds fifth in rebounding (6.9 per game).

Up Next

After this week’s road trip, the River Hawks will return home to face Bryant in America East competition at Costello Athletic Center on Saturday, January 18, with a tipoff at 1 p.m.