Despite sophomore Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) recording her fourth career double-double, Monmouth University's women's basketball team fell at home Saturday afternoon to Robert Morris, 81-72.
The Hawks' closed out the first half with an 11-4 run to climb to within three, then started the second half off with a Marisa Jimenez (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) layup. Jimenez was fouled on the next MU possession, hitting both free throws to take a 38-37 lead. The two teams traded buckets over the next three minutes, with the score resting at 42-42 with 15:55 left in regulation.
Robert Morris owned a 48-45 lead, which was cut to one after Brianne Edwards (Bloomfield, Conn./Suffield Academy) hit a pair of free throws with 11:41 showing on the scoreboard. RMU answered with an 8-2 run, but Bender kept MU in the game with a traditional three-point play, setting the score at 58-52. The Colonial offense tallied two unanswered trips , giving themselves a 10 point cushion, one which they would hold on for the remainder of the game. The 81-72 loss marked the fourth straight time the Colonials have defeated MU.
Monmouth started the game out with a 2-0 nothing lead but the Hawks committed five turnovers which led to 12 unanswered Robert Morris points, as the visitors held on to a 12-2 lead with just under three and a half minutes expired. Ferdinand stopped the run, and two trips down the floor later, Edwards hit a three pointer to cut the lead to five. The Hawks closed to within 15-11 as Randolph stopped on a fast break and fired a 17-footer.
After four straight RMU points, the Hawks launched a run of their own, capped by a Lakia Barber (Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park) jumpshot put the score at 19-17 in favor of the Colonials. RMU used a 10-2 run to rebuild their lead before Jimenez took a long pass from Barber and outran her opponent to pick up an easy two for the Hawks. Down by 11 with five minutes to play in the first half, Randolph fired up a wide open three pointer to slice the RMU lead to 33-25. After the Hawk defense earned a stop, Bender backed down a Colonial defender and got fouled on the layup, converting the free throw to get her team to within five. Brooke McElroy (Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) extended the MU run to nine unanswered, hitting an open three to cut the margin to a pair. After an airball by the visitors, Ferdinand hit a reverse layup to tie the game at 33-33 with 2:12 left in the first half. Barber gave the Hawks their first lead since the opening basket with a free throw, but it was short lived as RMU's Alston hit a jumper on the next Colonial possession. The half ended with Robert Morris owning a 37-34 lead.
The Hawks, who shot 47 percent for the game, fall to 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the Northeast Conference. RMU, who now improves to 13-6, 7-2 in the NEC, shot 52 percent for the game. MU owned the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds compared to 24 by the Colonials.
Chinata Nesbit led the Colonials in scoring with 21 points, while Crystal Champion added 20 points of her own. Nesbit led Robert Morris in rebounding with seven boards.
Bender finished with a career-high in points with 24 and tied her career high in rebounds with 11. Veronica Randolph (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) also had 11 rebounds in the game. Jimenez had 12 points, while Edwards finished with 10.
The Hawks are back in action on Monday night, when they host St. Francis (Pa.) at 7 p.m.
