Box Score (PDF) | Interview | PhotosCORAL GABLES, Fla. – The UMass Lowell (1-7) women's basketball team dropped an 84-53 decision to the Miami Hurricanes (10-0), on Sunday afternoon at the BankUnited Center.
"It was great to go up against an ACC team like Miami that made it to the NCAA Tournament essentially returned everyone," said Head Coach
Jenerrie Harris. "We knew that it was going to a tough game, but it wasn't anything that we're unfamiliar with. We just wanted to do as we always do and come out tough and play smart basketball. I cant say enough about the play of Mel, Lindsey and Asia, their mental toughness and how they're developing as players"
The Hurricanes jumped out to a 6-0 lead, before
Lindsey Doucette (Hopkinton, Mass.) knocked down a corner jumper and hit a three-pointer a few possessions later to cut the deficit to 8-5. She added her seventh point of the quarter to keep the River Hawks within three, at 12-9 with 4:34 remaining. Miami's defense buckled down, only allowing two more points, and the hosts took a 19-11 advantage into the second.
Back-to-back long balls from
Melissa Frase (Tamworth, N.H.) and
Asia Mitchell-Owens (Roxbury, Mass.) opened up the second quarter to cut the deficit to 19-17. Less than minute later, Frase added a traditional three-point play to get the River Hawks within 23-20.
The Hurricanes took control of the game with a 23-4 run over 8:16 to take a 46-26 lead into halftime. Doucette led the River Hawks with nine points at break, Frase and
Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) chipped in six apiece.
Doucette reached the double-digit plateau for the fourth straight game with a jumper 4:04 into the third, and finished the game with 15 points.
The River Hawks set a season-high with nine three-pointers in the contest, including four in the fourth quarter. Mitchell-Owens hit three in the last 10 minutes and Frase added one. The duo both finished the game with 12 points apiece. Mitchell-Owens set a personal season-best with four long balls, and Frase tied her career-high with three.
The Hurricanes had four shooters in double-digits, led by Adrienne Motley's 18 and five rebounds. Emese Hof added 11, while Erykah Davenport and Nigia Greene each scored 10.
UMass Lowell outrebounded Miami, 41-39, and shot almost 20 percent better from long range.
The River Hawks return to Lowell to take on Holy Cross on Wednesday, December 9 at 7 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.