Feb. 27, 2010

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They have only met three times in the postseason, but UMass Lowell is still looking for its first victory over American International College.

The River Hawks are hopeful the Jan. 16 result - a 68-64 victory over the Yellow Jackets - is a precursor.

UMass Lowell, seeded No. 7, hosts No. 10 AIC Sunday (1:00) in the 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament First Round at the Costello Athletic Center. Admission is $7 for adults; $4 for children 12 and under and senior citizens; and $1 for students with valid identification.

The game, along with live stats, will be viewable via the internet free of charge at www.goriverhawks.com with Pat Riley calling the action and Lynn Worthy of The Sun with the analysis.

UMass Lowell enters Sunday's clash with a sense of vigor, especially after enduring a 91-38 loss at No. 2 Franklin Pierce in the regular season finale Wednesday night. The game marks the River Hawks' return to the NE-10 Tournament following a three-year absence.

With a victory, the River Hawks visit No. 2 Pace Tuesday (7:00) in Pleasantville, NY, in the quarterfinal.

UMass Lowell will aim to buck a pair of historic trends as AIC leads the all-time series, 22-10, which includes the three postseason wins.

"AIC is a talented team," said UML Head Coach Kathy O'Neil. "They are a strong defensively, rebound the basketball well, and they can score both from the perimeter and in the post."

In the sole meeting this season, the River Hawks used a second half run, behind senior Jen Valente (Prospect, CT), who scored 14 of her 18 points in the latter half, to subdue AIC. Sophomore F Sha'nay Bushner (Akron, OH) added 12 points while senior G Amanda McGrew (Santa Monica, CA) added 11 points off the bench.

UMass Lowell trailed AIC, 30-24 at the break, but outscored the Yellow Jackets 44-34 in the second half.

Sophomore F Rhea Pascal led AIC with 16 points while senior G Kristen Boesenberg and sophomore G Michelle Lafond chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Yellow Jackets have yielded only 57.3 points per game this season - which ranks third among NE-10 schools - and has forced opponents into .371 field goal shooting this season (also third).