Women’s Basketball Outlasts UMass Lowell On Road, 73-63

LOWELL, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball boasted four double-figure scorers, led by a game-high 21 points from Hailey Leidel, as the Minutewomen defeated UMass Lowell, 73-63, on Wednesday night at the Costello Athletic Center. UMass has now won six of its last seven games and four in a row, logging its first four-game win streak since the 2015-16 season.

With 13 points and 13 rebounds, Maggie Mulligan recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game and 25th time in her career donning the Maroon and White. Leidel and Leah McDerment each grabbed three steals, while Alexia Allesch logged her first collegiate block. Bre Hampton-Bey also contributed three assists.

Wednesday's result moves the Minutewomen to 8-4 on the season while UMass Lowell falls to 3-8. The game was closely-contested throughout, featuring eight ties and six lead changes. Neither side led by more than seven until the final two minutes of the game, except for a brief stretch in the first quarter when UMass had a nine-point advantage.

Massachusetts shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field, despite some difficulty from behind the arc (5-of-18, 27.8 percent). As a team, the River Hawks shot 25-of-58 (43.1 percent) and went 9-of-25 (36 percent) from downtown.

The Minutewomen used a pair of runs in the opening stanza to build momentum early, constructing a 7-2 sequence from the opening tip and notching nine unanswered points late in the quarter. UMass Lowell would claw back in the second quarter, in part using eight points from Megan Hendrick to close in on the Minutewomen and narrow the score to 39-36 at the half.

As the second half progressed the back-and-forth nature of the game continued, but Massachusetts finally began to pull away in the final 90 seconds, a stretch that began with a steal by McDerment at the defensive end which forced the River Hawks to foul with Massachusetts already in the bonus. Although the ensuing pair of free throws would not fall, on UMass Lowell's next possession the Maroon and White forced Jennifer Louro to travel, ultimately sending the visitors back to the free throw line to seal the deal. In that final stretch, Hampton-Bey, Leidel and McDerment all converted from the charity stripe.

Paula Lopez led the River Hawks with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, however she struggled with possession at times as the Minutewomen forced nine of UMass Lowell's 21 turnovers via Lopez. Katie McKie grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

UMass will now enjoy an eight-day stretch to tend to final exams and prepare for a Thurs., Dec. 21 matchup with Marist. Tipoff in the non-conference finale is scheduled for noon.

Follow UMass women's basketball on Twitter (@UMassWBB), Instagram (UMassWBB) and Facebook (UMass Women's Basketball) for the latest news and updates around the team.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Hailey Leidel

Maggie Mulligan

Bre Hampton-Bey

Genesis Rivera

Players Mentioned

Alexia Allesch

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Players Mentioned

Alexia Allesch

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics