LOWELL, Mass. – Fairleigh Dickinson took a 55-54 lead on a Kiana Brown layup with 1:58 to play in the fourth quarter, but then UMass Lowell responded by scoring the game's final seven points to get the 61-55 win on Monday night.

Brown finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Brianna Thomas led the Knights with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Nicole Harper hit a three-pointer from the left wing to give UMass Lowell (1-8) a 57-55 lead with 34 seconds to play in the game. On the ensuing possession, Fairleigh Dickinson (2-6) ran a set that got Thomas a look from the left side of the lane but the shot was blocked by Kayla Gibbs with 24 seconds to play.

The River Hawks then hit four straight free throws – two by Katherine Smith and Megan Hendrick.

"I am so happy with how the team played in the first 35 minutes and how we responded to their runs," said head coach Peter Cinella post game. "Then in the last five minutes, we did not take care of the ball and did not find the open man like we did earlier and you have to give Lowell credit. We just have to find a way to play the full 40 [minutes]."

Fairleigh Dickinson led by as many as six in the final quarter (49-43) with 7:45 to play on a Brown layup. UMass Lowell slowly cut into the lead at 52-51 at the 4:08 mark on a Smith bucket. The lead changed hands two more times before the 7-0 run by the River Hawks to close the game. Throughout the game, the lead changed 16 times.

The two sides traded three-pointers to start before Fairleigh Dickinson pulled out to a 15-9 lead when Amina Markovic scored with three minutes to go in the quarter. A Thomas three-pointer gave the Knights an 18-11 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, the Knights built their biggest lead of the game, 20-11, with 8:06 to play on a Lauren Francillon jumper. The River Hawks cut the lead to one multiple occasion, which was the difference at halftime, 28-27 Fairleigh Dickinson.

UMass Lowell scored on its first possession of the third and took the lead. The lead would change hands on each of the six made field goals combined. Fairleigh Dickinson did create some separation with a 7-0 run of their own. A jumper from Thomas gave the Knights a 35-34 lead, then a bucket from Brown and a three-pointer from Zeynep Akgun made it 40-34 with 5:23 to play. The Knights took a six-point lead into the final 10 minutes.

The River Hawks had a 13-point advantage from the free throw line and committed 11 fouls compared to the Knights' 26.

UMass Lowell had three players in double figures; Kayla Gibbs, 14 and Hendrick and Smith had 10 each.

Fairleigh Dickinson returns to action on Saturday at Monmouth. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 at 3 p.m. from Long Branch, New Jersey.