LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team dropped its final non-conference contest of the season, 71-53, to Cornell on Sunday afternoon.
 
Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.) led the way for the River Hawks (3-10) with 10 points, and Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) added three three-pointers. For the first time all season, every player that saw action recorded a point for UMass Lowell.
 
The Big Red (3-9) had four player reach double-figures, led by Samantha Widmann's 17 points. Janee Dennis (12), Samantha Clement (11) and Danielle Jorgenson (10) rounded out the group.
 
After taking a 7-4 lead the River Hawks saw Cornell go on a 17-2 run to hold a 21-9 lead in the final minute of the first. Kayla Gibbs and Linda Svenne scored the final two baskets of the quarter make it a 21-13 contest.
 
The Big Red opened the second with an 11-3 spurt to jump ahead 33-16 with 7:46 left in the half.
 
To close out the first 20 minutes, the River Hawks went on a 16-5 run, including six straight points, to trim the gap to 38-32 at the intermission. Rudolph and Svenne led the charge, combining for nine points over the final seven minutes.
 
Cornell came out of the locker room on a 20-3 run to open a 58-35 advantage with under five minutes to play in the third. The River Hawks responded with a 12-2 run of their own to climb within 60-47 heading into the final frame. Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) capped the spurt with back-to-back threes.
 
The River Hawks open up 2018 and the America East schedule with a road tilt at Vermont on January 3. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.