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| Kelsey Simonds recorded her fourth straight double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) in Stonehill's upset loss to UMass-Lowell. |
No. 5 Stonehill Upset By UMass-Lowell, 75-73
Easton, Mass. - A few hours removed from receiving a No. 5 national ranking, Stonehill suffered its first loss of the season on a jumper by UMass-Lowell senior Antonnea Robinson with 1.7 seconds remaining, lifting the River Hawks to a 75-73 win over the host Skyhawks on Tuesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.
The win was UMass Lowell's first in Easton since a 75-71 win on Nov. 30, 1999 and snapped two Stonehill streaks - a 13-game home court winning stretch and a 22-game winning streak in the month of November.
Stonehill, which trailed by as many as eight points midway through the second half, finally took their first lead of the final frame (67-66) on an Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) triple from the top of the key.
Four points from senior Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) were answered by a pair of inside baskets from Revital Carmon, making the score 70-71 with 2:40 left.
Back-to-back shot clock violations left the score the same when Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) grabbed a rebound and was fouled and made the two subsequent free throws.
A turnover by Stonehill after forcing a missed shot gave the River Hawks new life and they took advantage as Rahshala Valentine drilled a wide open triple to even the game at 73 with 27 seconds left.
She then got a steal on the ensuing Stonehill possession and raced down the court and found Robinson open from the right elbow for the game-winning jumper.
UMass-Lowell made 52 percent of their attempts, while Stonehill connected on just 36 percent of their tries. The River Hawks controlled the interior, outscoring the Skyhawks 40-8 in the paint and had a huge edge in bench points (14-2) as well.
Carmon was the biggest reason for Lowell's inside game, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting. Valentine had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, while both Robinson and Megan Berry had 11.
Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, giving her a double-double for the fourth straight game.
McWhirter added 17 points, hitting 5 of 10 attempts from behind the arc, while Rousseau scored 10 of her 15 points in the final nine minutes of the game.
Stonehill converted a season-high 10 three pointers and made 25-of-27 free throw attempts with Simonds making all 11 of her tries from the charity stripe.
Now 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Northeast-10 action, the Skyhawks return to action to face Southern New Hampshire on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.