February 28 at UMBC (7 p.m.)
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 LOWELL, Mass. -- The UMass Lowell women's basketball team preps for its first America East postseason appearance, as the River Hawks take on the No. 8 seed UMBC on February 28 in the First Round matchup. 

A Win Would...
-Be UMass Lowell's first postseason win on the DI level
-Snap the River Hawks' four-game skid

Playoff Push
This marks the first playoff appearance for the River Hawks after completing the four-year transition to Division I, and first overall since 2012-13. UMass Lowell has an all-time postseason record of 30-27, spanning the NECC, NE-10, ECAC and NCAA tournaments.

NECC: 21-11
NE-10: 4-9
ECAC: 2-0
NCAA: 3-7

A Look Back
In the regular-season finale, the River Hawks saw UMBC shoot above 70.0 percent in the first half to take control of the contest. Oda Shackelford (Edinburgh, Ind.) scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to pace UMass Lowell.

Leading the Flock
The River Hawks are paced by Kayla Gibbs' (Teaneck, N.J.) 12.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.) is second on the squad with 9.4 ppg, while Paula Lopez (Leon, Spain) leads the team with 72 assists and 43 steals. Jennifer Louro (Belmar, N.J.) has 35 three-pointers to anchor the deep ball attack. Gibbs has registered 11 blocks to pace the defense. As a unit, UMass Lowell is shooting 40.4 percent from the field, and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Welcome to the Club
With her nine rebound performance against Stony Brook, Kayla Gibbs became the sixth player, and first since Lindsey Doucette, in program history with 1,000 career points and 750 career boards. She currently sits at 1,195 and 786, respectively.

O No
For the first time in 38 games (1.11.17-2.14.18) Kayla Gibbs was kept off the offensive glass. The streak began and ended with contests against Maine.

Going National
Entering the week, Kayla Gibbs ranks ranks 14th with a 60.9 field goal percentage and 22nd in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).

A Budding Rivalry?
UMass Lowell's last two AE wins have come against the Vermont Catamounts. The most recent win snapped the River Hawks 15-game overall and 32-game conference losing streaks.

45-45
For the first time in 2017-18, the River Hawks finished a game shooting 45.0 percent or better from the field and three-point range. Against UAlbany, UMass Lowell connected on 47.7 and 53.3 percent, respectively.

First Half Deja Vu
Before the matchup at Hartford, the River Hawks  held a lead at halftime in three of the previous four games. 

Follow the Leader
From Jan 15-18, UMass Lowell led the its two games for 52:52 and was tied for 3:18. In the first half, the River Hawks were outscoring opponents, 57-45, but were outscored 82-40 in the second half.

Crazy Eights
The eight spot New Hampshire put up in the first quarter was the fewest points UMass Lowell has allowed in the opening frame this season.

Block Party
From 12/31-1/10, Angel Agoth recorded two blocks in three straight games.

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).