LEE, N.H. (Interstat) — Two America East women’s basketball teams seeking to halt late-season slides will meet Thursday when the New Hampshire Wildcats host the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks at Lundholm Gym. Both teams enter the matchup on losing streaks. New Hampshire (8-17, 3-9 America East) has dropped four consecutive games since a Jan. 29 overtime victory over these same River Hawks. Massachusetts-Lowell (7-18, 2-10) has lost two straight and eight of its last nine. The Wildcats edged the River Hawks 62-58 in overtime in Lowell just three weeks ago, a game that figures to be fresh in both teams’ minds. New Hampshire’s Eva DeChent and Massachusetts-Lowell’s Jaini Edmonds, the standout guards for each squad, both logged 43 minutes in that contest. DeChent led the Wildcats with 17 points and three assists in the January win. She is averaging 12.8 points per game in conference play. Edmonds scored 18 points for the River Hawks in the loss and has been a consistent offensive force, averaging 16.4 points over her last seven games. She is coming off a 17-point performance in a 77-36 loss at Bryant on Feb. 12. Recent results have been challenging for both programs. The River Hawks are allowing 75.2 points per game during their 1-8 stretch, while the Wildcats have struggled offensively, failing to reach 50 points in three of their last four outings. New Hampshire is coming off a 61-44 loss at Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday. With the America East tournament approaching, both teams will view this as a critical opportunity to build momentum. The Wildcats currently hold the eighth and final tournament spot, just one game ahead of the ninth-place River Hawks, adding significant stakes to the rematch. Following Thursday’s game, New Hampshire will travel to face first-place Maine on Saturday. Massachusetts-Lowell will visit Binghamton the same day.