Dec. 29, 2009

Box Score

Seniors Jen Valente (Prospect, CT), Krissy Little (Concord, NH) and Amanda McGrew (Santa Monica, CA) each scored 14 points as UMass Lowell defeated Concordia College, 84-45, Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the American International College Yellow Jacket Holiday Classic at the Butova Gymnasium.

With the win, UMass Lowell improved to 6-3 and meets Wilmington University Wednesday at 3:30. Wilmington was a 50-47 winner over AIC in the opener behind 18 points and 12 rebounds from senior F Amelia Simmons.

Valente, who posted her first double-double of the season, also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished five assists and had four steals while converting 7 of 9 field goal attempts. McGrew shot 5 for 8 overall (4-6 from 3-point range) and dealt three assists in only 17 minutes for her season-high while Little converted 6 of 7 field goals in 23 minutes.

Senior F Dana Rommel led the Clippers with 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting 9-14 from the floor. Junior F Amanda Eggink chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds, hitting 6-10 field goals.

UMass Lowell shot a combined .500 for the game (34-68) and converted 9 of 21 attempts from long range, opposed to .367 shooting (18-49) by Concordia, which converted 3 of 10 attempts from 3-point range.

The River Hawks also forced the Clippers into 29 turnovers while committing only 14, enabling for an 18-5 advantage on steals and a 23-5 cushion on points off turnovers.

Led by McGrew and senior G Rahshala Valentine (Cincinnati, OH), who chipped in nine points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds, UMass Lowell also enjoyed advantages off the bench (37-2) and in the paint (40-4).

Leading 29-26 with 4:27 left, UMass Lowell closed the half with a 15-4 run, spurred by five points from senior G Megan Berry (Ipswich, MA) and four apiece from Valentine and sophomore F Sha’Nay Bushner (Akron, OH) – to snatch a 44-30 cushion at the break.

“We struggled defensively in the first half,” said UML Head Coach Kathy O’Neil. “However, we picked it up in the second half. J.V. (Valente) and Krissy led us in that area.”

The River Hawks limited the Clippers to only 6-24 field goal shooting and 15 points in the second half.

UMass Lowell led by 19 (58-39) with 8:34 left to play and used a 22-6 run to post an 80-45 lead with 2:08 left to play. McGrew led the surge with 3-point field goals on the River Hawks’ first three possessions in the run.