River Hawks Cruise on Opening Night: UMass Lowell Men and Women Secure Dominant Opening Wins

Monday night marked opening night for college basketball, and at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex, the UMass Lowell men’s and women’s teams began their seasons against Division III opponents. The women defeated St. Anselm 77-58, while in the nightcap, the men took care of Rivier College by a 121-57 count.

The Lady River Hawks went first, opening under new head coach Brianna Finch. A tight first quarter featuring five ties ended deadlocked at 18-18—the only ties of the entire game. The second quarter saw the River Hawks take a 34-31 lead into the locker room after outscoring St. Anselm 17-13.

In the second half, UML took control, outscoring their visitors from Manchester, NH, by a 43-27 margin. UMass Lowell had only one player in double figures: Kayla Solomon finished her night with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep and 5-of-6 from the foul line.

The River Hawks’ size took over after halftime, outrebounding St. Anselm 46-26. Coach Finch liked the fact that her team “never took our foot off the gas pedal,” noting, “They played a full 94-foot game, and in the second half, it paid off.”

UML picked up the intensity on the defensive end, holding St. Anselm to 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in the second half. The River Hawks forced 19 turnovers—converting them into 30 points—and scored 46 points in the paint. Their bench was also active, contributing 36 points.

“It is still a work in progress,” Coach Finch said, adding, ” Her freshman players worked, and they are fearless.” St. Anselm got 24 points from Megan Trapper, who shot 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of-9 from long range.

Strong start to the new year! 💪

RECAP: https://t.co/4PLb1PnUQ3

#UnitedInBlue

— UMass Lowell MBB (@RiverHawkMBB) November 3, 2026

The men were even more convincing. The game’s lone tie came with 19:20 left in the first half on a second-chance basket by Matt Youngquist (15 points). At the 19:12 mark, River Hawks forward Victor Okojie knocked down a 3-pointer to give his team a 5-2 lead—a lead they would never relinquish. Okojie finished with 13 points and noted after the game, “We executed our offense.”

The River Hawks dropped 60 points on Rivier in the first half while shooting 63.2% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point range. In the second half, it was more of the same: UML scored 61 points, shooting 67.6% from the field and 50% from deep.

The only complaint assistant coach Matt Graves had was free-throw shooting, as UML went 16-of-28 (57.1%) from the stripe for the game and just 50% in the second half. What the coach did like was seeing seven players reach double figures, led by Jasiah Cannady’s 16 points. UML shared the ball effectively, logging 29 assists—Cannady dished out 7 assists, Christian Jones logged 6 assists to go with 10 points, and Kenyon Giles added 5 assists alongside 12 points.

Another key contributor was Jakai Newton, who scored 13 points and noted postgame that he was healthy for the first time in his college career. UML dominated inside with 70 points in the paint and 63 points off the bench, leading 39- 36. Rivier had three players in double figures: Youngquist (15 points), Theo Briccoe IV (11 points), and Steph Barnes (10 points).

Both squads will next participate in the America East vs. Metro Atlantic Conference Challenge starting Thursday night. The men head to Merrimack, while the women host Niagara.