UMass Lowell Athletics

Box Score (PDF) | Harris Interview

TOWSON, Md. – Freshman Megan Hendrick (Alexandria, Va.) hit five threes and scored a team-high 15 points in her collegiate debut, but the UMass Lowell (0-1) women's basketball team dropped its season opener, 90-56, to Towson (1-0) on Friday night.

"Towson did a great job out there tonight," stated Head Coach Jenerrie Harris. " They came out with a lot of momentum and were able to force us into mistakes. We weren't able to make any adjustments and that was the difference out there."
 
The Tigers' Raven Bankston scored 31 points to lead all scorers and helped propel the hosts to a 16-6 lead with 5:57 left in the first. The River Hawks responded and went on to hit their next five field goals, and behind a 5-0 run got within 16-11. Nicole Hayner (Bedford, N.H.) connected on her first three-pointer of the season to spark the spurt.
 
The Tigers took a 24-16 lead into the second quarter, but two newcomers led the way for the visitors as Tyshay Britten (Norristown, Pa.) and Shawnkia McCallum (Perry Hall, Md.) each had four points in the opening 10 minutes. After a scoreless first quarter, Hendrick drilled her first career three-pointer to begin her impressive debut.
 
Britten led the River Hawks with eight points in the first half, but the hosts were able to limit scoring in the second quarter to take a 41-22 lead into intermission.
 
Britten became the first River Hawk to score double figures with a jumper 15 seconds into the fourth, and finished the game with 11 points in her UMass Lowell debut. McCallum chipped in nine points and five assists, while Katherine Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind.) recorded nine rebounds, eight points with a career-high six assists.
 
Hendrick connected on four of her triples in the second half, and Smith contributed eight of her points in the final 20 minutes.
 
Sianna Martin chipped in 20 points for Towson and registered a team-high five assists. Bankston recorded a game-high four steals.
 
The River Hawks are back in action on November 13, as they take on No. 6 Maryland in College Park at 1 p.m.