Senior Erin Gray led Stonehill with her second career double-double today at UMass Lowell, netting a season-high matching 16 points to go with 11 rebounds.

UMass Lowell Defeats Stonehill, 80-69

River Hawks shoot 50.8%, Simmons nets 24 points for third-straight win

Boxscore 

LOWELL, Mass. (February 6, 2010) - The University of Massachusetts Lowell shot 50.8-percent from the field and handed head coach Kathy O'Neil her 400^th career victory with an 80-69 decision over Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll and third in the East Region, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at the Costello Athletic Center this afternoon.

Freshman Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn./Mercy) led UMass Lowell with a game-high 24 points (14 second half) as she made 9-of-16 shots from the field and drained 5-of-7 free-throws to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior Rahshala Valentine (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) added 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, canning her lone three-point attempt, and converting all five free-throws to go with three assists. Sophomore Sha'Nay Bushner (Akron, Ohio/Kenmore) came off the bench to contribute 15 points (11 first half), shooting 7-of-14 from the floor, five rebounds and two steals.

Senior Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) led Stonehill with her second double-double of the year, posting a season-high matching 16 points and 11 rebounds to go with two assists and two steals. She made 6-of-10 shots from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range, while converting all three free-throw attempts. Junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) added 14 points and five assists, while senior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) posted 13 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. Junior Amanda Smith (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) chipped in a career-best 13 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench as well.

UMass Lowell finished shooting 50.8-percent (30-for-59) from the field, including 51.9% (14-27) in the second half to break open a four-point halftime (40-36) lead. Stonehill was limited to 39.4-percent (26-for-66) shooting from the field, including just 32.4% (12-37) in the second half, 2-for-14 (14.3%) from three-point range, after hitting 48.3% (14-29) in the opening stanza. The Skyhawks posted a 41-36 rebounding advantage, outscoring the River Hawks 18-4 in second-chance points. 

Junior Emily Rousseau added 14 points and five assists.

UMass Lowell closed out the first half with a 9-2 run to carry a four-point lead (40-36) into the lockerroom. Gray opened the second half with a layup for Stonehill, but the River Hawks scored eight-straight points to run their lead to double-digits (50-40) for the first time after a layup from freshman Sarah Bennett (Newark, Ohio/Newark) 3:17 into the frame.

Stonehill closed within six (50-44) on baskets from Smith and senior Stephanie Pintal (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South), but UMass Lowell responded with a 14-2 run to extend its lead to 20 points (66-46) after a three-pointer from senior Amanda McGrew (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) with 9:29 left to all but put the game out of reach.

The River Hawks lead was 22 (71-49) after a Bushner layup with 7:00 left, but Stonehill made one last run at it. Down 17 (74-57) with 2:11 to play, the Skyhawks used a 12-4 run to close within nine (78-69) after two Smith free-throws with 47-seconds left. However, that would be as close as they would get as UML got two free-throws back at the other end and the Skyhawks misfired on their final four three-point attempts.

An 11-0 run early in the first half put UMass Lowell up nine (15-6) after a layup by Simmons off her own steal with 5:35 into the frame. Stonehill scored the next eight points, capped by a Methven three-pointer, to get back within a point (15-14) with 12:54 to play in the half. The game was back-and-forth over the next three minutes before the River Hawks opened a five-point gap (24-19) after a McGrew jumper with 8:37 left in the half. A 12-5 Skyhawks run, capped by another Methven three, put the guests up a game-high three-points (34-31) with 3:48 left in the half.

Stonehill (17-7, 12-5 NE-10) is back in action on Tuesday when it visits Merrimack College at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home next Saturday, February 13, for its WBCA PinkZone event against Saint Michael's College at 1:30 p.m. UMass Lowell (14-7, 10-7 NE-10) visits Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.