Photo by George DeLuca/Connector
The UMass Lowell women’s basketball squad is still searching for its first win of the season after an 83-64 loss to the Bryant Bulldogs Tuesday evening at the Costello Center.
The River Hawks struggled to get into a consistent groove offensively, and were worn down by Bryant’s 11-women rotation. The Bulldogs also shot an impressive 53 percent from the field in Tuesday’s matchup.
“I thought our players played a really tough game in the first half,” said UMass Lowell head coach Jenerrie Harris. “All the credit goes to Bryant. They were doing a great job of making open shots, and moving the ball well.”
The Bulldogs were led by 21 points from junior guard Tiersa Winder. Kayla Gibbs led the River Hawks with 16 points on 7-11 shooting.
The River Hawks got off to a hot start, as the team shot an impressive 71 percent from the floor in the first quarter. Nicole Hayner led the way with seven points for UMass Lowell.
Hayner finished second on the team with 15 points. Now a junior, Hayner is getting used to taking on increased responsibilities on the court.
“I’m trying to play as hard as I can, and be disciplined on defense,” said Hayner. “I think that we have a lot of work to do, but I’m excited because I saw a lot of good things tonight. I think we need to execute better down the stretch.”
Bryant found a groove offensively in the second, as the River Hawks came down to Earth with their shooting. The Bulldogs took a 43-35 lead into halftime thanks to shooting 60 percent from three-point range.
Lindsey Doucette had six points in the first half, and anchored a 2-3 UMass Lowell zone defense. Bryant guards were able to get into the lane, which resulted in three early fouls on Doucette; limiting her playing time.
The River Hawks tried a healthy dose of man and zone on the defensive end.
“Playing a little bit of zone in this game was to try to keep us out of foul trouble,” said Harris. “Just little different things that we can do to protect ourselves, and maybe throw the opponents offense off their game.”
The Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run to start the third quarter to extend their lead to thirteen. Senior point guard Melissa Frase hit a pair of threes to cut the deficit back to single digits, but there was just too much Winder.
The lead got back to double-digits midway through the third, and Bryant continued to build on that lead until the final horn.
The River Hawks will try to earn their first win Saturday at Rhode Island. While the team has yet to post a W, coach Harris is still positive about the early progression from her young team.
“I definitely think we are progressing,” said Harris. “The numbers that we brought in and just how much these guys are contributing in the minutes they’re getting is huge, and we have a lot more work left to do.”
