SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Abbey Lindsey (Staten Island, N.Y.) registered a team high of 18 points, as UMass Lowell (3-24, 1-14 AE) fell, 64-52, to Bryant (14-13, 7-7 AE) in America East play on Thursday evening at Chace Athletic Center.
"I thought we did some good things in the fourth quarter and remained aggressive on the offensive end," said Head Coach Denise King. "Looking forward to see how we close out the season on Saturday."
Lindsey also contributed four rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) followed with 10 points, going 4-for-4 from the line. Junior Sophie Baydanov (Vienna, Austria) was perfect from the field notching nine points. The River Hawks outshot their hosts from behind the arc (33.3% to 25.0%) and from the foul line (71.4% to 65.0%).
It was a fast paced first quarter in Smithfield, as Bryant tallied the first bucket at 8:41, quickly followed by a pair of UMass Lowell baskets at 7:40 to take the early lead, 4-2. The Bulldogs went on to grab seven points in a row to help create an 11-6 advantage at 3:32. Durant answered this run with a smooth jumper at 2:53, followed by a long two from redshirt-senior Sydney Watkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) at 1:53 to put the River Hawks within one, 11-10. Baydanov would finish the first quarter with a put back, spinning to get around a Bulldog with five seconds left, as Bryant led, 18-14, heading into quarter two.
UMass Lowell controlled the first three minutes of the second quarter, earning six points in a row with a jumper from Lindsey at 8:54. Bryant recorded its own six-point run at the end of the quarter to head into the break with a six-point lead on UMass Lowell, 30-24.
The Bulldogs pushed ahead after the half, stringing together a nine-point stretch to increase their lead to 41-27 at 4:06. Freshman Sille-Liis Mölder (Tallinn, Estonia) countered with a bucket, as she passed by the Bulldogs and tapped in a layup at 3:32. Shortly after, Baydanov would hit a much needed three at 1:12 for UMass Lowell, as Bryant now led 43-32.
The River Hawks quickly picked up six points to start the fourth, including a bucket from Durant, who battled past the Bulldogs in the paint at 9:25 to make it 44-38. The River Hawks and the Bulldogs went back-and-forth for the remainder of the contest, but Bryant was able to keep UMass Lowell at a distance to grab the 64-52 victory.
Up next, the River Hawks will play their final game of the season at Binghamton on Saturday, March 1 with tip off scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Events Center.
