January 10 vs. Hartford (7 p.m.)
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Twitter: @RiverHawkWBB @RiverHawkNation

LOWELL, Mass. -- The UMass Lowell women's basketball team entertains Hartford at the Tsongas Center in the team's first home game of 2018.

A Win Would...
-Pass the River Hawks' win total from 2016-17
-Snap UMass Lowell's fiver-game skid
-Be UMass Lowell's first conference win since 2015-16

A Look Back
UMass Lowell cut a 13-point deficit to only two with 5:21 left in regulation, but was unable to complete the comeback, falling to Vermont in the team's America East opener. Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.) led the River Hawks with 13 points, and Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) picked up her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Leading the Flock
The River Hawks are paced by Kayla Gibbs (13.1 ppg) and Paula Lopez (Leon, Spai) (11.3 ppg), while Gibbs is also averaging 9.6 rebounds. Lopez has recorded 32 assists and 20 steals, and Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) leads the team with her 24 three-point field goals. As a unit, UMass Lowell is shooting 41.8 percent from the field, and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Ain't No Party Like a Tsongas Center Party
The River Hawks are 7-11 all-time in games played at the Tsongas Center, with a 5-10 record in the Division I era. In 2015-16, the loss against Binghamton snapped UMass Lowell's four-game winning streak in the building, scoring 71.7 points per game in the streak. Overall, the River Hawks are averaging 64.7 points in the team's second home.

Conference Numbers
Despite sitting in seventh place, the River Hawks are one of the league's best offensive teams. UMass Lowell leads the America East in FG percentage (41.8), 3-FG percentage (34.1) and ranks third with 66.0 points per game.

Scouting Hartford
The Hawks (10-5, 2-0) are riding a three-game winning streak and are in the midst of a three-game road swing after knocking off defending champs, UAlbany, to open conference play. Lindsey Abed leads a group of four players who are averaging double digits for the Hawks. Abed is scoring 13.0 points per game, followed by Janelle Harrison (11.1 ppg), Sierra DaCosta (10.7 ppg) and Darby Lee (10.3 ppg). Abed also paces the squad with 58 assists, while Harrison leads Hartford with 35 steals and 6.5 rebounds per game. The Hawks are connecting on 39.4 percent of their field goals, including 27.2 percent from three-point range. 

Series History
The all-time series is 7-1 in Hartford's favor. The Hawks have won the last four in the series, including a 84-64 decision in the most recent meeting.

Going National
Entering the week, Kayla Gibbs ranks eighth in offensive rebounds per game (4.7), and tied for 17th with eight double-doubles.

The Three Is Back
Last season, UMass Lowell recorded its worst three-point shooting season since 2013-14, only connecting at a 29.2 percent clip. So far in 2017-18, the River Hawks are shooting 34.1 percent to pace the America East.

Full Team Effort
For the third time in Division I, every River Hawk player that entered the Cornell contest scored. The previous two times for UMass Lowell happened against Longwood in 2016-17 and Holy Cross in 2015-16. The River Hawks are 1-2 in these meetings.

Notables
Lopez has been named the America East Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks (11.13, 11.20).