Box Score (PDF) | Highlights | Postgame Press Conference | Photo Gallery

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell (3-18, 0-8) women's basketball faced a 76-57 setback to the New Hampshire Wildcats (17-3, 7-0) during the third annual Health and Fitness Field Trip Day, presented by Align Credit Union, Lowell General Hospital and Collins Dentistry for Children in front of 4,192 at the Tsongas Center.
 
Kayla Gibbs extended her Division I era program high scoring streak, with her 18th consecutive contest with double figures, as she recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Oda Shackelford (Edinburgh, Ind.) finished the contest with 11 points, going 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

"I thought we played really well for a little less than three quarters and down the stretch we hit a wall that we couldn't recover from," explained Head Coach Jenerrie Harris. "We had a couple of opportunities cut it to a nine-point lead but couldn't connect and they took advantage. Overall, I really liked the way we played and I think we're now starting to gain some momentum. 
 
Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes, with Megan Hendrick (Alexandria, Va.) scoring four of the River Hawks' first six points. Trailing 8-6 with 6:25 left in the opening frame, Gibbs netted eight consecutive UMass Lowell points to put the River Hawks ahead 10-8 two minutes later, and scored her 10th point on the quarter to trim the hosts' deficit to 16-14 with 4:15 on the clock.
 
The River Hawks shot a season-high 57.1 percent in the first quarter, including their only three-pointer of the day.
 
Asia Mitchell-Owens brought the River Hawks within 18-17 with 56 ticks left in the frame, but UNH overlapped the quarters on a 6-1 run to open a 24-18 buffer with 8:39 remaining in the second. The Wildcats had two 10-point leads over the final minutes, but a Markayla Sherman (Cincinnati, Ohio) layup with 33 seconds left sent the hosts into the locker room trailing, 34-26.
 
Gibbs and Shackelford brought UMass Lowell within 36-31 less than three minutes into the second half, and four more points from Gibbs' paired with a Nicole Hayner (Bedford, N.H.) layup trimmed the deficit to four, at 41-37, just 5:16 into the third.
 
After shooting 50 percent in the first half, the Wildcats finished the game at 50.8 percent from the field, including a 78.6 percent clip in the fourth quarter. Carlie Pogue led the way with 23 points, followed by Kat Fogarty's 16 and Olivia Healy's 14 point days, respectively. Kristen Anderson facilitated the offense with 11 of UNH's 17 assists.
 
The River Hawks have reached the halfway point of the conference season, and will return to action on February 1 to take on UAlbany at Costello.