Jan. 16, 2012

Box Score

Sophomore G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) scored a season-high 24 points while junior G Brianna Calver (Shelby, Ohio) added a season-high 18 as UMass Lowell defeated Mercy College, 96-73, Monday afternoon in a non-conference women’s basketball clash at the Costello Athletic Center.

The win was UMass Lowell’s second in three games as it improved to 6-10 overall entering Tuesday’s Northeast-10 Conference home clash against Le Moyne (5:30).

Mercy slipped to 1-13 on the year and visits District of Columbia Wednesday (5:30).

Simmons also dished out a season-high nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds while Calver meshed 6 of 8 field goal attempts, including 5-7 from 3-point range.

Junior Brianna Wilson (Lowell, Mass.) added 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots while senior F Sha’Nay Bushner (Akron, Ohio) also had 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Wilson converted 4-6 field goal attempts and 3-4 free throws while Bushner shot 4-8 from the field and dished out three assists.

Sophomore G Danielle DePierro (Tewksbury, Mass.) chipped in 11 points and three steals.

“Bri and Daniele are playing well at both ends and being consistent,” said head coach Sarah Behn. “They know when Bianca drives, people channel on her so they know that she can kick it to them. We’re getting some balanced scoring out of our starting five.”

The loss spoiled a stellar effort from senior F Jasmine Williams, who compiled 34 points, 13 rebounds and four steals while shooting 13-24 from the floor and 8-10 at the free throw line. Junior F MarQuesha Moore added 11 points and five rebounds while senior F Talia Beaulieu grabbed 11 rebounds in addition to eight points and two blocked shots.

UMass Lowell forced 27 turnovers from Mercy while committing 20, which led to a 27-9 scoring edge off miscues. The River Hawks also outscored Mercy from long range (27-3), on the fast break (18-6) and off the bench (21-5).

UMass Lowell grabbed the lead midway through the first half and never wavered. Trailing 14-10 with 13:44 left in the half, the River Hawks went on an 18-4 run – led by six points from Bushner and four from Simmons – and led 28-18 with 6:36 left to play.

The River Hawks kept up the pressure the remainder of the half. Leading 30-22 with 5:51 left to play, Calver and DePierro combined for nine points in a 15-2 run which gave UMass Lowell a 45-24 cushion with 2:09 left in the half.

“We put on our half court press and turned it into some offense, got some steals,” said Behn. “That was good feeling because we haven’t been in that position to be up that much at half this year.”

Mercy cut the deficit to 16 points in the second half on two occasions, but was never able to come closer.

UMass Lowell led at the break, 47-30.