LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's basketball team (4-20, 4-8 AE) fell to the Bryant Bulldogs (13-13, 6-7 AE) 62-43 on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center.
Freshman
Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) led the team with 10 points and six rebounds. Junior
Alex Gitchenko (Ashdod, Israel) added seven points and three rebounds while freshman
Gabby Ross (Lakehurst, N.J.) scored four points with two assists, two steals and three rebounds.
"I don't think we had a great effort today, disappointed in our ability to rebound and execute our gameplan," said head coach
Denise King. "We've got two tough road games ahead and it's another opportunity for us to get better and play the way we want to play. We want to build momentum as playoffs get closer, so we'll get back in gym and continue to prepare the team for the next game."
The River Hawks started with great energy and scored on the first three possession to build an early 6-0 lead.
Rayne Durant and senior
Leilani Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.) started the game 2-2 with four points each as the River Hawks led by two at the first media.
The Bulldogs took the lead before
Alex Gitchenko's jumper tied the game in a back-and-forth first quarter. Bryant went on an 8-2 run to lead 18-12 after one.
Bryant pushed the lead to 22-15 before UMass Lowell answered with seven points to cut the lead to one possession. Freshman
Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) and
Gabby Ross sparked life in the River Hawks and scored big baskets to keep the hosts within four at the second media.
Out of the break,
Leilani Rodriguez hit a three to cut the lead to one.
Abbey Lindsey's long-range jumper gave the River Hawks their first lead since the first quarter with just over two minutes to play in the half. The Bulldogs took a 33-31 lead into the halftime break.
Byrant came out strong in the third quarter, pushing the lead to nine points behind an 14-0 run to open the second half. The River Hawks struggled offensively, going 0-9 from the field at the media timeout. Bryant outscored UMass Lowell 17-3 in the third to take a commanding 16-point lead into the fourth.
Foul trouble and shooting woes had the River Hawks behind by double digits in the fourth quarter.
Alex Gitchenko completed a tough three-point play to cut into the deficit, but Bryant answered on the other end on the following possession. Gitchenko hit another jumper late in the frame to get her to five points on the afternoon.
The River Hawks fell 62-43 and fall to 4-8 in conference play. Next up, UMass Lowell begins a three-game road trip with a Thursday night matchup with Binghamton on February 22.
