LOWELL, Mass. – Bianca Simmons tallied 32 points as UMass Lowell overcame a 36-33 halftime deficit to post a 79-62 Northeast-10 women's basketball victory over Southern New Hampshire University at the Costello Athletic Center Sunday afternoon.  The River Hawks, who have won 12 of 12, improve to 16-5 and 13-4 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are now 11-10 and 8-9 in the league.

Simmons, the leading scorer in Division II, finished 13-22 from the floor and eclipsed the 30-point mark for the ninth time in 12 games.  Ashley Rivera was the other UML player in double figures as she totaled 16 points.

Senior Michelle DeRoma (West Roxbury, Mass.) scored 23 of her career-high 26 points in the first half to pace Southern New Hampshire.  DeRoma finished 8-13 overall, including a 6-10 effort behind the arc, to lead a trio of SNHU players in double figures.  DeRoma now finds herself 25 points shy of 1,000 for her career.

Sloane Sorrell (Berwick, Maine) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Lorreta Rocha (Espargos, Cape Verde) also had 10 points on 5-8 shooting.

Southern New Hampshire trailed just once early in the first half, opening up a 9-3 lead 1:18 into the contest.  The Penmen extended that lead to 11, 16-5, at the 16:21 mark on a layup by DeRoma.  UMass Lowell gradually chipped away at the lead the remainder of the half, and a basket by Rivera 1:16 before intermission pulled the River Hawks within three at the break, 36-33.

The Penmen led 44-38 with 14:58 left following a layup by Victoria Wiseman (Montreal, Quebec) before the River Hawks seized control with a 13-2 run capped by a Demetria Bell layup with 10:04 left that made it 51-46.  Sorrell cut the deficit to three on SNHU's next possession, but another UML run, this one 13-3, gave the hosts a 64-51 lead with 4:48 left.  UMass Lowell maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

UMass Lowell, which shot 42.5% for the game and held a 39-38 rebounding advantage, forced 25 Southern New Hampshire turnovers to generate a 25-7 lead in points off turnovers.  The Penmen, who shot 43.1% for the game and were 7-12 behind the arc, forced just 11 River Hawk giveaways.  The hosts also had a 32-11 advantage in points off the bench.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Wednesday night when it hosts Franklin Pierce University in a 5:30 Northeast-10 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse.