BAYAMÓN, Puerto Rico – Sophomore Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) recorded a season-high of 20 points, as the UMass Lowell women's basketball team (0-8) battled to a 68-67 setback against San Jose State (5-3) at the Puerto Rico Clasico on Saturday evening at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez.

"I was happy with the energy our girls displayed tonight on the offensive and defensive end," said Head Coach Denise King. "As we get healthier, our offense will continue to take shape and we will be able to fill the stat sheet. We strive to move onward and upward."

Lindsey, who guided the River Hawks' offense, also added four steals, two rebounds and two assists. She shot 60.0% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc. Sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) followed with a season-high of 14 points, along with three rebounds and two assists. Senior Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) was also incredibly efficient on the night, shooting 66.7% from the field and scoring 10 points with six boards, two assists and two steals. Redshirt-senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) added on eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.

The River Hawks outshot the Spartans from the field (47.2% to 44.9%) and from three-point range (50% to 36.4%).

Freshman Sillie-Liis Mölder (Tallinn, Estonia) would get the River Hawks on the board first with a three-point make. UMass Lowell would then put together a six-point run to take their largest differential of the quarter, leading San Jose State, 17-10, at 2:09. The River Hawks were able to hold the Spartans to just 13 first-quarter points, not allowing them to score more than three points without an answer back. Lindsey ended the first in style with a three-point buzzer-beater, pushing the River Hawks to a 22-13 lead.

The River Hawks continued to dominate the floor in the second quarter, earning another six-point run to make it 34-18. Sophomore Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) was part of the stretch, sinking a three at 4:54. Heading into the locker room for halftime, UMass Lowell had a 13-point lead, 40-27.

San Jose State came out strong after the break, quickly putting up five points to cut UMass Lowell's lead to eight, 40-32. The River Hawks would go on a five-point scoring stretch, though, as Rice drained a three-pointer to increase the lead to 47-36.

The Spartans did not let up, scoring seven unanswered points to make it a two-possession game at 3:07, 47-43. The teams traded buckets, going shot-for-shot until the end of the third with San Jose State cutting the difference to just 53-51.

Freshman Carla Subirats (Barcelona, Spain) started the final quarter with a three, giving UMass Lowell a little breathing room at 56-51. However, the Spartans would steal the lead at 6:01 in the fourth, putting up nine points in a row to make it 66-60. The River Hawks were not able to regain the lead, falling to the Spartans by one point, 68-67.

Up next, the River Hawks will head back to the Northeast to take on Le Moyne on Saturday, December 7, with a tipoff scheduled for 12 p.m.