Dec. 29, 2011

Box Score

Sophomore F Shayna Gatling scored 16 points and sophomore G Kenyatta Sears added 15 as C.W. Post defeated UMass Lowell, 93-69, Thursday in the C.W. Post Winter Classic at the Pratt Recreation Center.

With the loss, UMass Lowell slipped to 4-6 overall and meets the University of the District of Columbia Friday at 3:00.

Junior G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) led UMass Lowell with 16 points and four steals. Junior F Brianna Wilson (Lowell, Mass.) and junior G Erika Sjoberg (Stockholm, Sweden) each added 13 points for the River Hawks as Sjoberg hit 4 of 5 field goals (3-3 from 3-point range.).

“We did a good job with their best players (senior G Felicia Joyner and junior C Nicolette Marciniak),” said head coach Sarah Behn. “We made some mistakes on defense, giving up the baseline and giving up some layups. But it was helpful to play them. I think this is going to help us in the league. Hopefully we’ll learn from it.”

Gatling came off the bench to convert 6 of 10 field goal attempts and grab eight rebounds in only 16 minutes while Sears shot 5-10 from the field and dished two assists, also in 16 minutes.

The Pioneers shot .507 for the game (34-67) while UMass Lowell struggled to a .273 clip (18-66).

UMass Lowell committed 17 turnovers to C.W. Post’s 19, but it was the Pioneers who made the most of it, outscoring the River Hawks 21-7 off turnovers. The Pioneers also dominated the paint, outscoring the River Hawks 46-14.

The advantages buffered UMass Lowell’s 28-17 cushion at the free throw line, in which it converted 28 of 33 attempts to C.W. Post’s 17 of 28.

“Some of our players didn’t have their best shooting nights,” Behn added. “Offensively, our free throw shooting was good. “They played us well defensively and they have some good depth.”

C.W. Post scored the final eight points of the first half to take a 46-33 lead at the break.

The Pioneers stretched their lead to 18 (51-33) in the opening minutes of the second half, but UMass Lowell found its touch and used a 15-5 spurt to close the deficit to eight (56-48) with 13:31 left to play. Wilson scored eight points in the run while Simmons converted a conventional 3-point play.

C.W. Post led 65-56 with 8:07 left to play and used an 8-3 spurt, from which UMass Lowell was never able to recover, to snatch a 73-58 lead with 6:35 to play.

Graduate F Catherine Lutz meshed a trey in the run while Joyner converted a conventional 3-point play.

UDC suffered an 82-48 loss to No. 19 Franklin Pierce in Thursday’s earlier matchup.

“UDC didn’t have a very good game (against Franklin Pierce), but they are a good team,” Behn noted. “I’m sure they’re going to play a lot better than they did (Thursday). We just have to regroup and be ready.”