BALTIMORE, Md. – Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) tied a career high with 27 points, but the UMass Lowell women's basketball team came up short the America East First Round, falling 73-65 to UMBC on Wednesday night.
 
Trailing by seven with 20 seconds remaining, Paula Lopez (Leon, Spain) picked up a steal and Gibbs converted a three-point play to make it 69-65, but the River Hawks (4-26) could not complete the comeback.
 
The Retrievers (5-25) led by as much as 15 points, 50-35, in the the third quarter and had a 54-66 advantage entering the final four minutes of play.
 
Gibbs also grabbed 11 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, to secure her 26th double-double in her final game. Brianna Rudolph (Lynn, Mass.) added 16 points in the effort.
 
The River Hawks started off hot, scoring the first bucket and taking leads of 6-3 and 10-7, before UMBC to its first lead, 11-10, with 2:44 to play in the opening quarter. UMass Lowell ended the first with a 9-3 spurt, including a 5-0 run, to hold a 19-13 advantage.
 
Gibbs led the way with eight points and three offensive boards in the first, as the visitors shot 50.0 percent from the field.
 
UMBC battled back to retake the lead at 25-24 with just over five minutes to play in the the first half. The River Hawks went scoreless for a three-minute span in the last half of the second quarter as the Retrievers were able to build a 37-30 lead at intermission.
 
Both teams shot well in the first half, as UMBC connected on 51.9 percent and the River Hawks sat at 48.3 percent.
 
The Retrievers continued their hot shooting and led 50-35 with 3:14 to play in the third. UMass Lowell was able to cut the deficit back to single digits at 51-42 with 70 seconds on the clock. Gibbs led the charge with her three-point play with under three remaining, and scored five of the seven points.
 
Oda Shackelford (Edinburgh, Ind.) began the fourth with a bucket to make a seven-point game, but the Retrievers immediately answered with a three.
 
With only one senior on the roster, the River Hawks will look to use their young core as they enter the 2018-19 season.