Box Score

LOWELL, MASS. (Jan. 20, 2014) – River Hawks second half comeback fell just short, with the Hawks holding on to win, 80-76, at the Costello Athletic Center Monday night in front of 479 fans in Lowell, Mass.   
 
Junior Jasmine McRoy (Gaithersburg, Md.) had a career-high of 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Lindsey Doucette (Hopkinton, Mass.) finished the night with a double-double, 17 points and 11 boards. She also had four assists and two blocks.   
 
Junior Shannon Samuels (Winsor, Conn.) had 19 points and a game-high nine assists and three steals.
 
Hartford improved to 5-13 overall, 2-3 in America East and will host Binghamton on Thursday. The River Hawks slip to 2-15, 1-5 in conference action and will host the Black Bears of Maine on Thursday at Costello Athletic Center.
 
The Hawks jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game after hitting three consecutive shots from beyond the three-point arc. Senior Alyssa Englert had a pair, with freshman Deanna Mayza hitting one. A little over the seven minute mark the Hawks had a double-digit lead which they would stretch to as much as high as 18 points with 3:10 to go in the first half.  
 
At halftime Hartford led 44-28.
 
UMass Lowell kept cutting into the lead in the second half but the Hawks always had an answer. With 1:40 remaining, down 12, Doucette hit a three, followed by a steal by Samuels and basket from Melissa Frase (Tamworth, N.H) the River Hawks trailed by just seven with a little more than a minute to go. Missed baskets on both ends finally led to a three by Samuels with 12 seconds and down four. UMass Lowell would not get any closer.
 
The Hawks outscored UMass Lowell at the free throw line, 11-6 and had the edge on the boards, 44-32.
 
 For the game UMass Lowell shot .500 (32-64) from the floor, while Hartford shot .448 (30-67) from the field. The difference was Hartford had the advantage from beyond the arc 9 of 28, compared to just 6 of 14 for the River Hawks.
 
Hartford had three players in double-figures; junior Amber Bepko had a team-high 19 points with Mayza and junior Cherelle Moore scoring 18 and 16 points respectively.