Women’s Basketball Gets Big 68-55 Win over UMass Lowell

Boxscore

LOWELL, MA – Casey Miller (Fairbanks, AK) scored 19 points as four Warriors were in double-figures in a 68-55 victory over UMass Lowell Thursday night in Northeast-10 action.

The win elevates Merrimack to 12th place in the conference, while the River Hawks drop to 13th in the standings. The top 12 teams qualify for the Northeast-10 Tournament at the end of the regular season.

Merrimack trailed 5-3 early but used a 19-3 run to grab a 22-8 lead capped off with a three from Miller and a lay-in from Gennifer Roy (Granby, MA) which was assisted by Miller. The Warriors forced 14 River Hawk turnovers in the first half and took a 38-26 lead at halftime, led by 10 points from Miller. Roy added seven points and three assists, while Tiffany Colon (Lawrence, MA) tallied eight off the bench.

But Lowell did not quit as they scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to seven. Merrimack’s lead was still seven at 59-52 midway through the second half, but the Warriors put the hosts away with a 7-0 run, with the nail in the coffin being a steal and a breakaway layup from Amanda Shannon (North Andover, MA).

Miller’s 19 points, which included three threes and six free throws in eight attempts, led the Warriors in the win. Shannon added 15 while Roy (14 points) and Colon (10 points) were also in double figures. Led by a career-high eight offensive rebounds and 15 overall from Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh, NC), the Warriors outrebounded Lowell 38-33.

Rahshala Valentine led the River Hawks with 18 points as Lowell turned the ball over 22 times in the loss.

The Warriors led for the final 39:01 of the game, winning their fourth game on the road this season.

Merrimack (6-13, 5-9 NE-10) visits Bentley University Saturday afternoon for 1:30 p.m. matchup in Waltham.