Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
The UMass Lowell women’s basketball team fell to Columbia in their home opener, with a final score of 57-67 Friday night at Costello Athletic Center.
“Our ladies played hard; we didn’t lose because of lack of effort … It came down to putting the ball in the hole,” said Head Coach Jenerrie Harris. “We want to go through these bumps now so we are prepared for the time we get to conference.”
Player of the game sophomore forward Kayla Gibbs earned a double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. “It was all off my teammates,” said Gibbs. “They were giving me the ball and were making it easy for me.”
Senior River Hawk forward Lindsey Doucette tipped off the night and UMass Lowell quickly took an early four-point lead against the visitors. Five minutes into the game, however, the River Hawks lost their only lead as Columbia went on to score 20 points to the River Hawks’ 11 in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw similar results for the River Hawks, with UMass Lowell scoring first in the quarter but remaining behind Columbia. UMass Lowell saw more scoring opportunities, however, and earned 17 points to Columbia’s 18.
UMass Lowell entered the third period with a 10-point deficit, but came out of the locker room strongly as the River Hawks outscored their opponent 15 to 13. Doucette and forward Nicole Riddick saw a strong defensive quarter for UMass Lowell, while Gibbs sparked the offense with a personal gain of nine points in the quarter.
The River Hawks could not overcome the eight-point difference that started the fourth quarter. Columbia went on to score 16 points to the River Hawks’ 14 points.
With the evenly paced final quarter, the game was closely contested until the end. UMass Lowell committed seven fouls in the quarter, while Columbia added another four. The last five minutes of the game saw UMass Lowell trailing by only six points, but Columbia continued to pull away as time ticked down in the 57-67 River Hawk loss.
The River Hawks fall to 0-3 on the season while Columbia climbs to 3-0.
UMass Lowell will face Bryant University at Costello Athletic Center Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
