SMITHFIELD, R.I. – UMass Lowell (7-18, 1-11 AE) fell on the road Thursday night, dropping a 77–36 decision to Bryant (17-8, 7-5 AE) inside the Chace Athletic Center. 

"Tough one for us tonight after our win on Saturday," said head coach Jon Plefka. "Bryant came out as the aggressor from the tip, and unfortunately we didn't have a response. We did some things well and will build on those in preparation for our two games next week."

Bryant grabbed control from the opening minutes, scoring the first points of the night and stringing together an early run that forced Lowell to play from behind. Senior guard Jaini Edmonds (Worcester, Mass.) got the River Hawks on the board with a second-chance jumper, and sophomore forward Nia Chima (Toronto, Ontario) followed with work inside, but the Bulldogs capitalized in transition and in the paint to build a 20–8 lead after one. 

Lowell opened the second quarter with a push at the rim as Chima finished through contact and junior guard Paris Gilmore (Youngstown, Ohio) converted at the line. Bryant answered with perimeter shooting and second-chance points, stretching the margin past 20 midway through the frame. A late three from senior guard Amina Kameric (Seattle, Wash.) provided a spark, but the hosts closed the half on a run to carry a 39–15 lead into the break. 

Coming out of halftime, Edmonds created offense off the bounce with a pull-up jumper and later scored again in transition to open the third-quarter scoring for the River Hawks. Chima added a turnaround finish inside as Lowell worked to generate momentum, but Bryant responded with a string of interior buckets and offensive rebounds to extend the lead. Edmonds closed the quarter with a jumper and free throws as the Bulldogs pushed ahead 62–25 entering the fourth. 

Lowell continued to battle in the final period. Edmonds connected on a transition three midway through the quarter, and Gilmore added two at the line following a defensive stop. The River Hawks forced a few late turnovers and found points at the stripe, but Bryant maintained control down the stretch to secure the 77–36 final. 

Edmonds paced UMass Lowell with 17 points and four rebounds. Chima added six points and a team-high six boards, while Gilmore finished with six points and five rebounds. The River Hawks were strong at the free-throw line (10-for-11) and totaled 12 offensive rebounds, but were held to 21.8 percent shooting from the field. 

UMass Lowell returns to action next week, taking  on New Hampshire and Binghamton at their respective homes, as conference play comes to a close.