LOWELL, Mass. – Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) scored 15 points on Senior Night, moving into a tie for seventh all-time, but the UMass Lowell women's basketball team struggled in the second half and fell to New Hampshire, 70-49, at the Tsongas Center.
 
For the second time this season, the River Hawks (4-24, 1-14) held a lead at the half against the Wildcats (18-11, 9-7), and saw New Hampshire walk away with the victory. Megan Hendrick (Alexandria, Va.) added 12 points in the effort.
 
UMass Lowell scored six points over the last 5:22 of the half, and limited the visitors to a pair as the River Hawks went into the half with a 28-23 advantage.
 
The Wildcats clawed back with 30-28 in the early stages of the third, but UMass Lowell was able to respond with a 5-0 run, capped by a traditional three-point play by Gibbs.
 
Trailing 35-28 with 7:40 on the clock in the third, UNH went on a 14-2 run to hold a 42-37 advantage with 2:07 to play. A three-pointer from Aliza Simpson put the Wildcats ahead, 40-37 with 2:04 remaining in the period. The 16-2 spurt lasted for a 7:11 span in the quarter.
 
A pair of free throws by Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) ended the run, and the visitors took a 44-39 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
 
After allowing the first basket of the contest, the hosts rattled off five straight points, capped off by a Hendrick three-pointer. The River Hawks used a jumper from Louro and a triple fro Linda Svenne (Riga, Latvia) to build a 12-6 advantage in the opening five minutes.
 
The River Hawks saw 14-6 lead shrink to 16-15, but Svenne scored the last bucket of the opening frame with 62 seconds left, and UMass Lowell led 18-15 after one.
 
New Hampshire tallied the first four points of the second to take a 19-18 lead, but four straight by the River Hawks saw them back on top at 22-19.
 
After the River Hawks trimmed the deficit to 46-41 in the fourth, the Wildcats built a 56-41 lead with a 10-0 run, and forced a timeout with 5:13 to play.
 
UMass Lowell hosts UMBC in their regular-season finale on February 26 at Costello. Tip is set for 1 p.m.