Senior guard Nicole Hayner tied a UMass Lowell record for three-pointers made in a game in her penultimate collegiate contest. (Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics)
Gina Cincotta
Connector Contributor
The UMass Lowell women’s basketball team fell 78-62 to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County at the Tsongas Center on Saturday.
With the loss, the program fell to a 3-25 overall record and a 0-15 America East record.
Senior guard Nicole Hayner set a career high with 27 points and tied the program record of seven three-pointers in one game.
“I went out there and played with confidence… [Coach Jenerrie Harris] instilled confidence in me to shoot even with a hand in my face,” said Hayner.
The River Hawks’ junior forward Kayla Gibbs scored the team’s first two points. UMBC followed back with a three-pointer by Tyler Moore.
The remainder of the first quarter saw a back and forth scoring pattern between the two teams, until UMass Lowell called the first timeout with 3:23 left in the quarter.
UMBC took control in the end of the first quarter with a 31-15 lead.
The second quarter did not see much action with both teams playing a good defense. UMBC scored the first 2 points by Laura Castaldo.
The River Hawks scored the following two baskets making the score 33-20 UMBC. A time out was called by UMBC at 6:14.
Gibbs stole the show in the last 3 minutes, scoring three baskets.
The final score of the first half was 39-29 UMBC.
UMBC took control of the third quarter, with Lauren Castaldo scoring 9 points, and Allison McGrath scoring 6 points.
The River Hawks fought back hard with Hayner scoring 11 of the 17 points scored by the River Hawks. The final score of the quarter was 66-46 UMBC.
In the final quarter of the game, UMBC scored the first 3 baskets. The River Hawks followed with a 5-0 run before the media time out halfway through the quarter. The River Hawks earned another 5-0 run, and closed the game out with a 4-0 run. The final score of the game was 78-62 UMBC.
“Credit to UMBC, I thought they had an amazing first quarter and from there it was an uphill battle for us, but I’m overall happy for the seniors,” said River Hawks head coach Jenerrie Harris.
Prior to the game, the River Hawks celebrated their seniors’ accomplishments.
Redshirt senior forward Tyshay Britten went into the game with 101 points and 125 rebounds recorded. Senior forward Lauren Parra saw 21 starts and 179 rebounds in her career as a River Hawk. Senior guard Asia Mitchell-Owens saw 42 starts and had 478 points, 136 assists and 234 rebounds.
Nicole Hayner made 752 points, 181 rebounds, and 115 assists prior to Saturday’s game. As the final buzzer sounded and she tied a UMass Lowell record, she stood with 779 points, 186 rebounds and 117 assists.
The River Hawks will be back in action on Feb. 23 with a game at the University of New Hampshire at 7 p.m.
