WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Led by three players in double-figures, the Monmouth University women's basketball team recorded its third straight win over St. Francis (Pa.), 76-71, on Monday night, in Boylan Gym. Monmouth improves to 12-8 overall and 5-4 in the Northeast Conference. St. Francis falls to 5-17 overall and 2-9 in the NEC.
After Monmouth grabbed a 10-7 lead on a Rachel Ferdinand (Califon, N.J./Voorhees) jump shot, St. Francis knotted the score at 10-10 when Lindsay Stuckey converted on a three-point play with 14:12 left. The two teams traded leads over the next three-plus minutes, until LaKia Barber's (Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park) two free throws at 10:28 put the Hawks ahead for the remainder of the half.
The Hawks recorded a 13-1 run over the next 6:43 to corral their largest lead, 32-19, when Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) dropped in a layup with 3:45 showing until the break. Back-to-back baskets by Shawna Scott and Christie Ayers brought SFU to within 32-23 with 2:50 left, before MU pushed the lead to 12, 36-24, on Brooke McElroy's (Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) offensive rebound and basket with 1:25 left on the clock.
The Red Flash trimmed the lead to single-digits at the break, outscoring the Hawks 5-1 in the final 1:17, as Ayers tallied all five points to make the score 37-29 at the intermission.
St. Francis cut the Monmouth lead to 39-33 out of the locker room, as Ayers netted two straight buckets, before Veronica Randolph (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) drained a wing three-pointer to reclaim a 10-point advantage, 43-33, with 18:20 left. A Marisa Jimenez (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) trifecta gave MU a 46-33 lead 20 seconds later, but SFU scored the next seven points to pull within 46-40 with 16:25 showing.
Brianne Edwards' (Bloomfield, Conn./Suffield Academy) three-pointer with 10:49 remaining in the contest, reclaimed a 13-point bulge for the Hawks, 59-46, before the Red Flash rattled off a 12-2 run, capped by Ayers' fast break layup with 6:30 left cut the lead to 61-58.
Britney Hodges connected on a corner three-pointer with 5:32 left to pull SFU with 63-61, but a Jimenez three-point play quelled the spurt, giving the Hawks a 66-61 lead at 5:20. Four straight points from Bender gave the Hawks a 70-61 cushion with 3:30 showing.
Emily Bollinger's hoop with 2:30 on the clock pulled the Red Flash to within 70-65, and two Scott free throws made it a three-point contest with 2:12 remaining.
After forcing a Monmouth turnover, Scott drew a foul and connected on two free throws, pulling the Red Flash to within 70-69, and pulled down two offensive rebounds in the next possession, before calling timeout with 48.6 ticks left.
Trailing by one, SFU's Ayers' turned the ball over, and Edwards' was fouled bringing the ball up-court for the Hawks. Edwards', an 80.0% free throw shooter, connected on both foul shots to give MU a 72-69 edge.
Scott's drive and basket made the score 72-71 with 28.1 showing, before Jimenez hit a free throw. After a tie-up situation, Monmouth retained possession and Edwards subsequently hit two more free throws to give the Blue and White a 75-71 advantage with 20.6 seconds left. After an Ayers' missed jumper, Bender connected on one last free throw to make the final 76-71.
Edwards' 15 points led Monmouth, while the guard added four rebounds and three assists. Jimenez added 14 points, while Bender chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Scott tallied a game-high 24 points for the Red Flash, connecting on 7-of-13 from the floor. Ayers added 19 points and five rebounds as well.
Monmouth forced 19 turnovers and recorded 29 points off those SFU miscues, while also outscoring the Red Flash 23-6 on second-chance points.
Monmouth returns to action on Saturday, February 3, when the Hawks host St. Francis (N.Y.) at 3 p.m., in Boylan Gym. On Saturday, Monmouth celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
