LOWELL, Mass. – Behind 18 points from Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.), including five straight in the final 80 seconds, the UMass Lowell women's basketball team held on to knock off Columbia, 77-70, Wednesday evening at Costello.
 
After the Lions erased a nine-point deficit to knot the game at 70-70 with 1:39 left in regulation, Rudolph hit an off balance shot to regain the lead, then picked up a steal and a layup to give the hosts a 74-70 advantage with 34 seconds to play.
 
Her performance tied her career best as she spearheaded the UMass Lowell attack with 11 points in the second half. Paula Lopez (Leon, Spain) added 15 points, while Linda Svenne (Riga, Latvia) chipped in 14 in her collegiate debut.
 
In the first minute of the contest, the River Hawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, behind baskets from Rudolph and Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.)
 
After a 15-2 Columbia run, the hosts pulled within two points with over four minutes left in the quarter, led by five points from Rudolph.
 
The visitors added four points to take a 19-13 advantage with 3:25 on the clock, before UMass Lowell went on a 7-0 run to move back in front, 20-19, capped off by a triple from Louro with 2:22 left in the frame.
 
Both teams traded baskets over the remainder of the half, with Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) evening up the score at 34-34 with three seconds on the clock.
 
Gibbs completed the bookend with the first score of the third frame as the River Hawks built a 40-38 advantage in the early minutes. Linda Svenne (Riga, Lativa) connected on her second of four threes on the night as the hosts opened a 48-43 lead with 4:19 on the clock.
 
After weathering a 11-5 Columbia run, the River Hawks bounced back to take a 58-54 lead into the final period.
 
UMass Lowell built a 67-58 cushion with 4:16 left to play, but the visitors were able to chip away and set up Rudolph's heroics down the stretch.
 
Oda Shackelford (Edinburgh, Ind.) grabbed a career-high 11 boards and added seven points in 19 minutes off the bench.
 
The Lions were led by Camille Zimmerman's 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Riley Casey and Abby Lee chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The River Hawks look for their first back-to-back wins since the 2015-16 season as they head down to Longwood for a 12 p.m. tip on November 18.