LOWELL, Mass.— The Long Island University women's basketball team dropped it's final non-conference road game on Sunday afternoon, falling to UMass Lowell, 65-56. The Sharks bounced back from a 29-point deficit in the third quarter at the Tsongas Center to cut the Riverhawks lead to nine with over a minute left to play, but the home team kept the lead in the final minute to take the victory.

LIU received a pair of double-double efforts on Sunday afternoon from sophomore Brandy Thomas and junior Mia Perkins. Thomas tallied a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds while Perkins contributed 11 points and 10 boards. Sophomore Kiara Bell added 11 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.

GAME BREAKDOWN

The game opened with both teams exchanging baskets in the opening minutes. The Riverhawks used an eight point run to from there to gain a 10-2 lead at the 5:25 mark. Bell broke up the run with an old fashioned three-point play shortly after. UMass Lowell created separation with a 7-2 stretch over the next minute and a half to take a 17-7 lead and set the tone for the rest of the first two quarters.

UMass Lowell outscored the Sharks 14-9 in the second quarter to take the 37-21 lead at the half. LIU was held to just two game field goals by the Riverhawks defense but made five-of-six free throw attempts in the quarter.

Out of the half, the Riverhawks continued to control the tempo in the third quarter, shooing 60% from the floor. UMass Lowell outscored the Sharks, 17-4 in the first six minutes of the third quarter to command a 29-point advantage, 54-25.  LIU got going offensively over the final four minutes of the quarter, closing the period on an 8-3 stretch. Bell led the Sharks with four points during that stretch.

LIU opened the scoring in the final period with six straight points as Bell, Perkins and sophomore Shyla Sanford all made baskets to chip away at the deficit. The Riverhawks commanded a 61-41 lead with just 5:26 left to play. The Sharks then embarked on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes with a triple from junior Jeydah Johnson, cutting the deficit to single digits, 61-52 with 1:07 to play. The deficit would hold from there as both teams traded a pair of baskets for the 65-56 win by the Riverhawks.

SHARK BITES

• Thomas finished with a team-high 14 points and added 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
• Perkins registered her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Bell nearly recorded a double-double for the second straight game, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds. She also recorded four steals on the defensive end.
• Sophomore Ryan Weise dished out a game-high five assists and tallied a season-high four steals.
• LIU recorded double-digit steals for the fourth straight game. Five Sharks tallied two or more steals.
• The Sharks held the advantage on the glass over the Riverhawks, 47-41.

UP NEXT

The Sharks take a two-week break for finals before closing out the non-conference schedule  in downtown Brooklyn. LIU will welcome Vermont to the Steinberg Wellness Center on Saturday, December 21 for a 2:00 p.m. matchup.