LOWELL, Mass. — Sophomore Paula Maurina dropped a game-high 20 points as the Hartford women's basketball team fell, 56-46, to UMass Lowell in its regular season finale on Monday. The Hawks fall to 4-25 overall and 4-14 in conference play. The River Hawks, who were led by 14 points from Baylee Teal and Kaylen Banwareesingh moves to 11-15 overall and 8-9 in the America East. 
 
UMASS LOWELL 56, HARTFORD 46
UMass Lowell came out of the gates hot, taking an early 9-0 lead. Lya Farcy would put an end to the River Hawks start, sinking a jumper at the 6:02 mark. After a quick 4-0 River Hawks run, the Hawks would start to mount a comeback. Hartford exploded for a 7-0 stretch, led by an Abby Streeter three and four points from Maurina, cutting the deficit to 14-9. A pair of Ingram free throws in the closing minute saw the Hawks enter the first break down, 16-11. Both teams would trade buckets in the opening portion of the second quarter, with UMass Lowell taking a 22-13 lead with 7:49 remaining. However, the Hawks stepped up defensively, shutting down the River Hawks while using an 11-2 run to take a 25-24 advantage. Jabria Ingram got Hartford's run started with a pair of free throws, followed by a midrange jumper. Carmen Villalobos would chip in with five points during the stretch and a Maurina free throw saw the Hawks take the lead at the 2:21 mark. The final two minutes saw both sides trade free throws as the game entered the halftime break level at 27-27.
 
The River Hawks would use an early three to regain the lead, but Streeter responded with a triple of her own, tying the score at 30-30 with 9:21 left in the third quarter. Maurina would swing the advantage back into Hartford's favor, 32-30, after knocking down a pair of shots from the charity stripe, but UMass Lowell would utilize an 11-1 run to take a 41-33 lead. Maurina would make another pair of free throws right before the buzzer, cutting the River Hawks lead to 43-35 at the end of the third quarter. The Hawks would continue to fight back in the fourth quarter, using a 5-0 run, featuring a Ingram layup and a Farcy three pointer, to pull within four, 46-42, with 5:25 left in the game. The River Hawks would extend the gap back to eight, but four straight Maurina points pulled the Hawks back within four, 50-46. UMass Lowell would hold Hartford scoreless for the remainder of the game however, taking home a 56-46 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Maurina finished a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line
• She has now scored 20+ points in her last three outings
• Villalobos hauled in a team-high nine rebounds
• The Hawks shot 85.0 percent (17-of-20) from the free throw line
• The 17 made free-throws were the most by Hartford this season
• UMass Lowell outshot Hartford 30.8 percent (20-of-65) compared to 28.3 percent (13-of-46)

NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks await their fate for the upcoming America East Playoffs. The quarterfinals are set for Saturday, March 5.

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