EL PASO, Texas ? The Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated Utah State, 48-44 to win the 2008 UTEP Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center. The Hawks, who trailed by as many as 12 in the game, improve to 4-1 on the season in claiming the tournament's trophy.
Senior forward Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) was named both Tournament MVP and Defensive Player of the Tournament after scoring 23 against the Aggies in the title game in addition to her 22-point, eight-rebound effort in MU's 54-49 win over UTEP on Friday. The Hawks are technically the first winners of the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic, even though the tournament is in its second year; last season, the championship game was cancelled due to a power outage.
“The team continues to grow, especially on the road and everybody stepped up in a different way tonight,” said head coach Stephanie V. Gaitley. “I challenged Jen at halftime and told her that there are going to be games that your shot doesn't fall and she responded tonight. To take a tournament at the host's gym is a testament to where our program is.”
With the score tied 34-34 with under eight minutes to go, Monmouth's LaKia Barber (Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park) put the Hawks in front for good with a strong take to the goal at the 6:31 mark. A pair of Bender buckets put the Hawks up 42-36 at the 3:50 mark before Utah State cut the lead to 42-40 with 1:52 left in the contest. After the Aggies cut Monmouth's lead to 42-41, Bender converted a pair of free throws with just under 50 seconds left in the game. The Hawks forced a Utah State turnover on the ensuing possession and Marisa Jimenez (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) found Bender with a baseball pass to put the Hawks in front 46-41, but the Aggies responded with a three to cut the lead to 46-44.
After Bender missed the front end of a one-and-one, Barber chased down the offensive rebound with 15.5 seconds left and Bender hit two free throws to increase the MU advantage to 48-44.
Bender led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds. Barber added nine points and eight boards in the game as the Hawks held the Aggies to 34.0% shooting for the game.
The Aggies took an early 6-4 lead with 11:49 left in the first half as the two Monmouth hoops came on Laura Forbes (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) jumpers. MU took their first lead at 7-6 after three free throws from freshman Taylor Smith (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage), but USU regained the lead after Nicole Johnson buried a three to make it 9-7 at the 11:05 mark. The Aggies exploded to score 10 straight, sparked by two Ana Pares three-pointers, to take a 21-9 lead with 7:50 left in the first half.
Utah State shot 64.3% over the game's first 13 minutes, making nine of their first 14 shots, while MU struggled early, shooting 20% (3-of-15) during that same time span. The Hawks trimmed the Utah State lead to 22-15 after Jennifer Bender converted a free throw and floater in the lane at the 4:06 mark of the first half.
The Hawks came back and whittled down what was once a 12-point USU lead to five at halftime, 24-19. Monmouth shot 25% (6-of-24) from the floor in the first half while the Aggies show 41.7% (10-of-24). MU's saving grace in the first half was Smith, who connected on 6-of-8 free throws and pulled down three rebounds, including two on the offensive end.
On the first play of the second half, MU's Barber grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a traditional three-point play and Bender knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 24-24 with 18:03 left in the game. The score stayed 24-24 until Bender broke the tie with a baseline jumper at the 13:25 mark.
After Utah State regained a one-point lead, the Hawks took a 30-29 advantage after Bender collected an errant Aggie pass in the backcourt and fed Barber for a lay-up with 11:22 showing. After MU took a brief 32-29 lead after an Alexis Scott (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) inside bucket, Utah State scored five straight points, spearheaded by a right-wing three from Alice Coddington at the 9:04 mark of the second half.
The Hawks connected on 16-of-24 free throws, including hitting 9-of-12 in the second half.
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, December 3 when they visit St. John's for a 7:00 p.m. tip in New York City.
