NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. - The Monmouth University women's basketball team dropped its third straight game, 70-54 to Columbia from The Ivy League on Sunday afternoon at Levien Gym. The Hawks fall to 3-6 on the season while the Lions improve to 6-4.
Sophomore guard Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md. /Bishop McNamara) scored a career-best 16 points, including 6-oof-8 from the foul line, and pulled down four rebounds to lead the Hawks. Freshman Alysha Womack (Springfield, Pa. /Cardinal O'Hara) added 14 points, three assists and two steals, while junior forward Chanel Gomez (Perth Amboy, N.J. /Perth Amboy) totaled career-high with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
The Lions sprinted out to a 12-0 lead five minutes in to the game, with MU's first basket coming off a turnaround jumper from Gomez with 14:38 left. Columbia stretched its first half lead to 26-8, despite six straight points from Monmouth's Womack, with 7:08 left before halftime.
A pair of blocks and two free throws from Gomez helped the Hawks cut Columbia's lead to 30-18 with just less than four minutes left in the opening half. The Lions took a 40-18 lead into intermission after shooting 48.5% (16-of-33) in the first half. Sara Yee led the way with 11 points for the Lions in the opening half, while Judie Lomax added 10 points and 12 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Columbia outscored the Hawks in the paint in the first half, 22-2, and also turned its nine offensive rebounds to 15 points.
The Hawks, who were paced by Womack's eight first half points, hit 19.2% (5-of-26) of their opening half shots. Gomez added career-highs of four points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the first half.
Monmouth made a late run to cut the lead to 64-52 with two minutes after four quick points from Gomez, but Columbia answered to extend its lead back to 14 points.
Carly Thibault (East Lyme, Conn. /East Lyme) contributed six points off the bench for the Hawks, who show 32.1% (17-of-53) for the game. MU hit just 3-of-14 three-pointers and went 17-of-26 (65.4%) from the foul line.
Columbia, which shot 43.1% (25-of-58) from the floor, was paced by Lomax's 25 points and 17 rebounds. Kathleen Barry added 16 points and five rebounds. Danielle Browne contributed eight points, six assists and four rebounds for the Lions. Columbia outrebounded MU 47-31 and outscored the Hawks 34-16 in the paint.
Monmouth, which now enters its longest break of the season, returns to action on December 29 at 2:00 pm when it hosts Howard in the opening game of the first ever Hawk Holiday Classic presented by Staybridge Suites and Hotels.
