NEWARK, N.J. — UMass Lowell women’s basketball (6-12, 0-5 AE) controlled the tempo early and built a second-quarter cushion, but a decisive third-quarter swing by NJIT (12-6, 3-2 AE) turned the game as the River Hawks fell, 68–57, on Thursday afternoon at the Joel & Diane Bloom Wellness & Events Center.
“A promising first half for us, and then the third quarter got us again,” commented head coach Jon Plefka. “The intensity was turned up, and unfortunately we couldn’t match it. We needed to end their runs quicker, but couldn’t make a play or get a stop when we needed it most.”
The River Hawks came out sharp to open the contest. Senior guard Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) buried a pair of early threes to spark the offense, and UMass Lowell used a quick 7–0 burst to grab the first multi-possession edge. NJIT answered late in the period, knotting the game at 18–18 after one.
Momentum stayed with Lowell into the second. Senior guard Sabrina Larsson (Uppsala, Sweden) knocked down back-to-back triples from the wing, part of a stretch where the River Hawks extended the lead to as many as 12. Junior guard Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) controlled the glass on both ends, and Edmonds continued to create looks in transition as Lowell carried a 32–31 lead into halftime.
NJIT flipped the script coming out of the break. The Highlanders opened the third quarter on a run, taking their first lead of the half just 18 seconds in and forcing Lowell into a scoring drought. UMass Lowell managed only seven points in the frame, shooting 2-for-11, while NJIT turned stops into transition chances to build a 50–39 advantage heading to the fourth.
The River Hawks kept fighting in the final period. Larsson buried her fourth three to bring Lowell within single digits, and Rice powered through contact inside to trim the deficit to seven. But each Lowell push was met with an answer, as NJIT used extra possessions to stay in front down the stretch.
Larsson finished with 12 points on four made threes, Edmonds added 11, and Rice posted eight points and 11 rebounds.
UMass Lowell returns to the road next week, traveling to Burlington for a matchup at Vermont on Wednesday, January 22 at 11am.
