NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-5) fell to the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (1-4) by a score of 58-49 on Tuesday night in New Britain.
 
Junior Tasha Lima (Roslindale, Mass.) led the team with 11 points and added three rebounds with one assist. Freshman Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) and senior Leilani Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.) each tallied nine points. Freshman Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) added four points and five rebounds while fellow freshman Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) added a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Leilani Rodriguez opened the scoring for the River Hawks on the second possession of the game. Both sides struggled from the floor in the early part of the first quarter with UMass Lowell shooting 1-6 and CCSU shooting 1-5 from the field. The Blue Devils built a 7-2 lead before Abbey Lindsey hit a three to make it a one-possession game at the first media timeout. Central added to the advantage and led 12-7 at the end of the first.
 
The Blue Devils scored the first basket of the second quarter just over two minutes in, doubling up the River Hawks early. Tasha Lima got UMass Lowell on the board in the second with six minutes to play, cutting the lead to five. Central pushed the lead back to eight at the second media.
 
Out of the break, the Blue Devils hit a three that was immediately answered by a triple from Rodriguez. UMass Lowell struggled to find an offensive rhythm and CCSU extended the lead to 12 points late in the half. The hosts continued to shoot well through the end of the half and led 29-16 at the break. The River Hawks had 16 turnovers in the first half and shot 26% from the field.
 
Junior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) scored three quick points to start the third before Tasha Lima's three brought UMass Lowell within 11, forcing CCSU into a timeout. The hosts pushed the lead back to 13 at the media timeout. Freshman Gabby Ross (Lakehurst, N.J.) knocked down a triple to cut into the lead, but the Blue Devils continued to make shots on the offensive end to keep the advantage at double digits. The River Hawks battled to close out the third and made it a nine-point game going into the final frame.
 
UMass Lowell continued to battle in the fourth quarter and got back within eight as the game reached the media timeout with just over six minutes to play. Sydney Watkins' layup extended the River Hawks' run and cut the lead to six as CCSU burned a timeout.
 
Tasha Lima knocked down a pair of free throws and the River Hawks forced a 10-second violation to get the ball right back. Maddie Rice made back-to-back layups to bring UMass Lowell within two with just under three and a half minutes to play.
 
A shot clock violation on the next possession for CCSU gave the River Hawks the ball back and Leilani Rodriguez knocked down a big three to put UMass Lowell in front for the first time in the game. The Blue Devils answered and jumped back in front by four with a minute to play. Despite a late push, UMass Lowell dropped to 0-5 on the season with a 58-49 loss on the road.
 
The River Hawks return to action on Saturday, November 25 for a 1:00 p.m. tip at Fordham.