LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-5) hosted the Yale Bulldogs (2-1) in their second home contest of the season, but ultimately fell in a decision of 67-59 on Thursday night at Costello Athletic Center.
 
"I was really proud of the way our kids fought back into the third and fourth quarter," commented head coach Tom Garrick. "They showed resilience in closing the gap, so well take key things from the today's second half in order to help propel us forward this season."
 
Senior guard Ren'Cia Rolling (Lansing, Ill.) led the way for the River Hawks with 16 points off the bench, while also snagging the teams'-high eight rebounds. Freshman Jaliena Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) found herself with 12 points and five rebounds, topping her personal best from the season opener against Boston College.
 
Yale set the pace for the first half of the game, going on a 9-0 run after winning the opening tip. Rolling ended the Bulldog streak after a backcourt steal to go on a fast break and earn the first bucket for the River Hawks.
 
A strong second quarter saw the River Hawks outshoot the Bulldogs 17-15. Lowell went on their longest run of the game, 7-0, with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Kharis Idom (Orlando, Fla.), and jump shots from junior Chasidey Willis (Detroit, Mich.) and Sanchez.
 
Freshman Denise Solis (Windsor, Conn.) went 6-6 on the line in the second half, while Idom knocked in the final basket of the night to cut the deficit to only eight points.  
 
Up next, the River Hawks will top off their week with a trip to Providence, R.I. for a Sunday night showdown with the Friars.
 
"Our man defense brought us back today, opposed to the zone we thought we were going to play," stated Garrick. "We'll lean a little bit on our man in the next coming days to prepare for Providence, while still trying to supplement with our zone and hopefully something will stick."