River Hawks Soar Past Catamounts in Conference Opener, 66-50

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BURLINGTON, Vt. — Sophomore Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) posted her first double-double of the season, to help propel the UMass Lowell River Hawks women’s basketball team (2-2) to a 66-50 victory over Vermont (0-1) in the America East opener on Saturday afternoon.

“I was pleased with the way we started the game, playing with energy and aggression,” commented head coach Tom Garrick. “When we can take people out of their offensive rhythm it gives us an opportunity to get out in transition. Now, we need to grow and take better advantage of those opportunities. But overall, for our first conference game, I’m very pleased with the effort.”

Three River Hawks finished the day in double-digits paced by junior Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.), who turned in a season-high 18 points. Solis chipped in 16 points and a team-best 12 rebounds, while fellow classmate Shamyjha Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 10 of her own.

The River Hawks controlled the game from the tip as Solis threw a pass up to redshirt-senior Niya Johnson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for the River Hawks’ first bucket of the day, as the visitors jumped out to a quick, 11-2 advantage in the opening minutes. The Catamounts used a 5-0 run to make it a six-point game, but UMass Lowell answered with five second-chance points to extend their lead 23-15 at the end of the first.

Coming out with a vengeance, the Catamounts would use a 6-2 spurt over the opening minutes of the second quarter to pull within four points, 25-21, after a Sarah Wells jumper at 7:09. Vermont would continue to crawl back within striking distance after Carly Whiteside put up her first points of the day, 29-26, following the second media timeout. The Catamounts would get no further as the visitors ended their run with one of their own, taking a 36-26 lead by the end of the first half.

Strong out of the half, Idom drained back-to-back triples and Solis hit a jumper, giving their squad a 12-point buffer with less than seven minutes remaining. Vermont battled to close the gap back to 12, but a 7-0 run from Price and Johnson would put UMass Lowell on top, 59-41 at the third-quarter buzzer.

To open the fourth the Catamounts would attack again, cutting their deficit on a 5-0 spurt. UMass Lowell’s largest lead of the day came with less than a minute to go in the contest following Idom’s fourth three-pointer of the day, sealing the deal 66-50.

As a team, the River Hawks outrebounded the Catamounts, 37-30, while totaling 15 assists.

Looking for their series sweep; the River Hawks are back in action against the Catamounts tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.