LOWELL, Mass. – Despite leading for nearly the first 30 minutes of the contest, the UMass Lowell women's basketball team came up short, 58-48, against the first-place UAlbany Great Danes on Thursday night at the Tsongas Center.
After picking up her ninth double-double in the first half,
Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) completed the game with 16 points. and 18 rebounds, tying her own Division I program single-game rebound record.
Trailing 32-23 at the half, the Great Danes (16-3, 5-1) outscored the River Hawks (3-15, 0-5), 16-4, in the third to take their first lead in the final seconds.
After a quiet start, Jessica Fequiere picked up a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tiana-Jo Carter added 12 points, and Mackenzie Trpcic dished out nine assists.
UMass Lowell wouldn't quit down the stretch and while trailing 50-43 with 4:09 to go,
Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.) hit a three to give the River Hawks a chance in the final minutes. A minute later,
Megan Hendrick (Alexandria, Va.) connected on a jumper to make a 51-48 contest.
With some strong defense and timely ball movement the River Hawks opened a 6-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the half, forcing the Great Danes into 12 straight misses. Following UAlbany's first basket with 4:05 left in the frame, Gibbs connected on back-to-back layups to push the lead to 12-3.
Following a Hendrick three-pointer for a 15-7 lead, UAlbany rattled off seven points to get within one. Gibbs ended the run with her fourth bucket of the night just a minute into the second.
The River Hawks led 19-18 with 6:36 on the clock, before
Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) sparked an 8-0 run with a corner three. On the very next possession,
Paula Lopez (Leon, Spain) turned a circus shot into a conventional three-point play.
Up 27-18 with 4:11 to play in the half, UMass Lowell saw the Great Danes get within 29-23, but Rudolph had her three-point play push the lead to 32-23 at the half. Neither team could score in the final 90 seconds before intermission.
Gibbs completed the double-double with three offensive rebounds and a layup within 17 seconds at the end of UMass Lowell's 6-0 run in the middle stages of the second quarter.
The River Hawks host Binghamton on January 21 at 12 p.m.
