BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico – Sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) totaled eight points, as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-7) fell, 56-40, to UNC Wilmington (6-3) at the Puerto Rico Clasico on Friday evening at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez.  

"I thought our kids competed today against a tough CAA opponent," said Head Coach Denise King. "These games will continue to build our team's character and prepare us for conference play."

Rice, who shot 42.9% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc, also contributed five rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block. Redshirt senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) was busy on the defensive end, collecting 10 boards, along with six points, four assists and one block. Sophomore Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) grabbed eight rebounds with four points.  

The River Hawks found themselves in foul trouble early, creating opportunities for bench players, who combined for 18 points. The first points of the contest were awarded to UNC Wilmington, but the River Hawks quickly responded with two shots, taking the early lead, 4-3, at 5:27 in the first.

Both teams, eager to control the game, went back and forth scoring, with the Seahawks gaining the 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.  

Rice and senior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) got the second quarter started with consecutive layups, pushing the River Hawks back in front, 12-9. However, UNC Wilmington was back in charge of the next several scoring opportunities, putting away seven uninterrupted points to pull ahead, 16-12. Durant was able to end the spurt at 3:59, making it a one-possession game.  

A nine-point advantage for UNC Wilmington would be its greatest of the half to now lead UMass Lowell, 27-16, heading into the break.  

The River Hawks and the Seahawks would go shot for shot in the third quarter until Rice sank back-to-back three-pointers to put the River Hawks within seven, 37-30.  

The Seahawks grabbed the first points of the quarter, stretching their lead to double-digits, 42-32, but the River Hawks dug deep with a six-point stretch, as freshman Nia Chima (Toronto, Ontario) scored her first collegiate points, cutting the difference to just 42-38. 

UNC Wilmington would go onto take its largest differential of the contest with 1:25 to play, scoring 10 points to pull away, 52-38. 

Freshman Carla Subirats (Barcelona, Spain) then swatted the ball away from the Seahawks and tossed it to freshman Sille-Liis Mölder (Tallinn, Estonia) for the fast-break bucket to finish out the contest for the River Hawks, 54-40. UNC Wilmington recorded its final points of the game and snagged the 56-40 victory.  

Up next, the River Hawks will return to the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez for a matchup with San Jose State on Saturday, November 30 with a tipoff scheduled for 4 p.m.