WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated in-state Northeast Conference rival Fairleigh Dickinson for the second time in three days, 59-49 on Saturday afternoon in the Multipurpose Activity Center. The win enabled Monmouth University to capture the "The Governor Codey Trophy" for winning the "The Garden State Rivalry Series" for the first time in the three-year history of the award.
The Hawks (12-11, 7-5 NEC) closed the game out on a 19-9 run after FDU had tied the contest at 40-40 with 8:39 left on an Esther Wallace free throw.
"I thought we 'weathered the storm' today and showed a lot of maturity in getting this league win," said MU Head Coach Stephanie V. Gaitley. "We are happy to help bring the Codey Trophy to Monmouth for the first time. All the credit goes to the kids, they played hard and composed today."
Freshman Adriana Allen (Ajax, Ont. /Pickering) led the Hawks with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Junior Chanel Gomez (Perth Amboy, N.J. /Perth Amboy) added 12 points and eight rebounds, also off the bench, as Monmouth's reserves outscored FDU's 27-2.
Freshman guard Erin Rooney (Christchurch, N.Z. /Marian College) connected on consecutive three-pointers to give the Hawks an early 6-2 lead with 16:25 left in the first half. Freshman forward Abby Martin (Maplewood, N.J. /Columbia) converted a low-post move to push MU's advantage to 15-10 with 10:50 left before intermission. FDU went on a 6-0 scoring run, punctuated by a Mariyah Laury steal and breakaway lay-up, to take a one-point lead three minutes later.
The Hawks outscored Fairleigh Dickinson 13-6 over the final 6:26 of the first half to take a 28-22 lead into intermission. Allen continued her recent good form, scoring a team-best nine first half points on 4-of-4 shooting. Gomez added seven points off the bench for Monmouth, which outrebounded FDU 17-15 in the first 20 minutes. Laury led the Knights with 10 points in the first half.
Rooney started the second half out the same way she began the game, draining a three to give MU a 35-26 lead with 17:45 left. After MU built a double-digit lead at 40-30, the Knights jousted back into the game, knotting it up, with a 10-0 run around the eight-minute mark.
Alysha Womack (Springfield, Pa. /Cardinal O'Hara) added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Rooney contributed nine points, six boards and three assists. Sophomore guard Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md. /Bishop McNamara) added six points (4-4 FT), six rebounds and a pair of assists.
The Hawks shot 42.6% in the game, holding Fairleigh Dickinson to 36.5% field goal shooting and outrebounding the Knights 42-29. MU outscored Fairleigh Dickinson 16-3 on second chance points and 26-22 in the paint.
FDU (6-17, 2-10 NEC) was led by Laury's game-high 20 points, while Wallace added 10 points, five rebounds and five blocks.
Attention Monmouth fans, if you held a ticket from either of today's games against FDU, the Monmouth Athletics Department is offering you the opportunity to redeem your ticket for a free ticket to a future Monmouth home game during the 2009-10 regular season.
The women's basketball team returns to action on Thursday, February 11 when it hosts Mount St. Mary's at 5:00 pm.
