Box Score
Senior G Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) compiled 35 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals as UMass Lowell held off the College of Saint Rose, 67-65, Wednesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference clash at the Costello Athletic Center.

The victory was the ninth straight for UMass Lowell, which improved to 14-4 overall and 10-3 in the NE-10 entering Saturday's clash at New Haven (3:30).

The victory is UMass Lowell's longest win streak since the 1997-98 season, when the River Hawks won 10 straight games midseason.

The loss was the second straight and fifth in the last six games for Saint Rose, which slipped to 6-12 overall and 3-11 in the Conference. The Golden Knights host Franklin Pierce Saturday.

Simmons converted 16 of 28 field goal attempts and scored 22 points in the first half. The output marked her seventh 30-plus point game in her last nine starts.

Freshman G Nicole Bini led the Golden Knights with 17 points and six rebounds as she converted 7-11 field goal attempts. Junior G Desiree Simmons added 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals while sophomore G Gabie Polce had 16 points and six rebounds.

Senior F Maria Sanchez-Gonzalez grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in addition to nine points.

UMass Lowell forced 30 turnovers from Saint Rose while committing 18, which led to a 23-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The River Hawks also built a 17-13 edge on the offensive glass and outscored Saint Rose 14-8 on second chances.

Led by freshman G Melissa Frase (Tamworth, N.H.) and sophomore F Demetria Bell (Braintree, Mass.), who had six points apiece, the UMass Lowell reserves outscored those of Saint Rose, 27-3.

Trailing 38-28 at the break, Saint Rose opened the second half with an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 40-36. Bini led the spurt with four points. UMass Lowell responded with 10 straight points – four by Simmons and a trey by Frase – to grab a 50-36 lead with 13:29 to play.

Saint Rose found its rhythm late and, trailing 58-48 with 5:30 to play, outscored UMass Lowell 15-6 to cut the lead to one, 64-63, with 31 seconds left. Desiree Simmons led the run with six points while Bini added four.

Frase, however, added a conventional 3-point play and Desiree Simmons countered with a layup with the River Hawks ahead 67-65. After a UMass Lowell missed free throw, a 3-point shot by Polce was off the mark.

In the first half, UMass Lowell led 21-18 and ended the half with a 17-10 run to post a 38-28 cushion at the break. Simmons led the run with seven points and four assists while junior G Lauren Fiola (Fall River, Mass.) added five points.