Nov. 29, 2009

Box Score

Audio Recap - The River Hawk Report

Sophomore F Sha'nay Bushner (Akron, OH) compiled 17 points and 13 rebounds while freshman G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, CT) added 17 points and seven rebounds as UMass Lowell defeated Merrimack College, 78-66, Sunday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball clash at the Volpe Complex.

The win was UMass Lowell's fourth straight and marked its best start to a season since the 2003-04 campaign when it opened to a 5-0 clip. The River Hawks improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the NE-10 entering Wednesday's key tilt at Bentley (5:30).

Merrimack slipped to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Conference.

Bushner converted 8 of 12 field goal attempts and grabbed seven offensive rebounds while Simmons shot 5 for 8 overall (3-5 from 3-point range) and 4 for 4 from the free throw line, and scored seven of her points in a pivotal late run.

Senior F Jen Valente (Prospect, CT) added 12 points, five rebounds and three steals while shooting 5 for 10 from the field. Junior G Krissy Little (Concord, NH) chipped in 10 points (5 for 9 FG shooting).

Senior G Casey Miller led Merrimack with 21 points and four assists while sophomore G Gennifer Roy added 14 points. Junior G Tiffany Colon chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.

UMass Lowell outscored the Warriors 29-8 over the final 6:24 to secure the win. Trailing 58-49 with 6:24 left to play, the River Hawks scored 16 straight points to grab a 65-59 cushion with 2:36 left to play.

Senior G Megan Berry (Ipswich, MA), in her second appearance of the season, came off the bench to score five points while Simmons also scored five to spark the run. Valente and Little each added four.

Merrimack shot 2 for 5 and committed five turnovers over the final 6:24.

UMass Lowell outrebounded the Warriors 49-33 overall and 20-13 on the offensive end, enabling for a 21-12 scoring edge on second chances.

Consistent with the trend this season, the UMass Lowell reserves outscored Merrimack's 29-7, led by Simmons and freshman G Brianna Calver (Shelby, OH), who meshed 7 of 8 free throws over the final 1:14.