WORCESTER, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team's (0-3) fourth quarter comeback effort fell short against the Holy Cross Crusaders (2-1) on Monday Night. The River Hawks fell 51-41 at the Hart Center in Worcester.
 
Graduate student Mili Carrera (Lima, Peru) led the team with 14 points and shot 3-7 from behind the arc. Redshirt junior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) and freshman Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) each grabbed 10 rebounds and scored six and five points, respectively.

"Tonight we showed spurts of what this UMass Lowell women's basketball team could be," said head coach Denise King. "We are still continuing to come into our own each game and learning as we face different opponents. We will build off this and prepare for the next game at home on Saturday." 
 
Durant also had two blocks and Watkins added three steals and three assists. Freshman Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) also tallied three assists to go with four points.
 
Holy Cross built a 14-4 lead at the first media timeout behind 7-10 shooting from the field. The River Hawks started slow, shooting 2-9 from the field and turning the ball over three times in the opening six minutes.
 
Out of the break, Sydney Watkins hit a pair of free throws to break a scoreless drought for the River Hawks and bring them within eight. Rayne Durant had a big block that led to a Maddie Rice layup as UMass Lowell found a spark late in the quarter. The Crusaders held a 18-10 lead after one.
 
Maddie Rice's jumper broke a 5-0 run for the Crusaders and brough the River Hawks within 11 in the early minutes of the second quarter. Holy Cross pushed the lead to 27-14 at the second media timeout. Following the break, freshman Gabby Ross (Lakehurst, N.J.) hit a big three to cut the deficit to 10 points. Holy Cross answered and stretched the lead back to 14 to end the half.
 
UMass Lowell shot 23% from the field while Holy Cross shot 48% in the first half. Rebounds were 23-17 in favor of the Crusaders.
 
The River Hawks battled back to start the third quarter, cutting the lead to 12 with just over five minutes to play in the frame. Junior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) and Sydney Watkins scored on back-to-back trips for UMass Lowell and Holy Cross used their first timeout.
 
Both sides struggled from the floor after the break and the deficit remained 13 for the River Hawks. Mili Carrera knocked down her second triple of the night in the final minute to bring UMass Lowell within 12 after three.
 
Rayne Durant's three-point play cut the lead to nine with just under eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The River Hawks stopped the Crusaders on their first three offensive possessions and rebounded well on the defensive glass. Despite the push from the visitors, Holy Cross maintained a double-digit lead at the final media timeout.
 
Carrera hit another three right out of the media timeout and UMass Lowell burned a timeout to slow the game down once again. The graduate student added a tough layup on the next possession to cut the lead to just five. UMass Lowell continued to battle and chip away at the lead, getting big stops on the defensive end.
 
Holy Cross had a six-point lead with 40 seconds to play as the River Hawks called timeout. The Crusaders hit free throws down the stretch to secure the 47-41 win.
 
UMass Lowell returns to action for the home opener on November 18 against Le Moyne. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Costello Athletic Center.