LORETTO, Pa. - The Monmouth University women's basketball team (12-5, 4-2 NEC) defeated Saint Francis University (10-8, 5-1 NEC), the reigning conference tournament champions, 75-68 in a Northeast Conference contest on Monday evening at DeGol Arena. The game was close throughout, featuring 10 lead changes and nine ties.
Abby Martin (Maplewood, N.J. /Columbia) converted a lay-in off a feed from Erin Rooney (Christchurch, N.Z. /Marian College) to give the Hawks a 69-67 lead with left 1:32 in the second half, an advantage they wouldn't relinquish. On the ensuing possession, sophomore Gabby Singer (Harrisburg, Pa. /Central Dauphin), who scored a season-high 13 points, came away with a big steal for Monmouth. Singer's steal, plus some clutch foul shooting from junior Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md. /Bishop McNamara), helped seal the MU win.
"I can't be prouder of the way the kids played tonight," said MU head coach Stephanie V. Gaitley. "What a gutsy performance by them. They pulled it together at the right time and came away with a great team win."
Martin paced five Hawks in double figures with 15 points and eight rebounds. Rooney added 14, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line, while Singer's 13 included three triples. Canady and Alysha Womack (Springfield, Pa. /Cardinal O'Hara) each chipped in with 11 points, while the former added a team-high five assists.
After trailing 6-2, Womack gave the Hawks a one-point lead, capping a quick 5-0 run with a three-pointer at the 14:28 mark of the opening half. Canady connected on a three-pointer to cut SFU's lead to 15-12 around the 10-minute mark.
Singer came off the bench and knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner to knot the contest at 19-19 with seven minutes left in the half.
After MU held a slim 24-23 lead with 3:30 left in the first half, Saint Francis went on a 10-2 run to hold a seven-point advantage two minutes later. Chevannah Paalvast (Auckland, N.Z. /Massey) and Carly Thibault (East Lyme, Conn. /East Lyme) each swished home three-pointers, sandwiching a free throw from Martin, to cap a 7-0 MU run in the final minute of the half to square the game at 33-33 heading into intermission.
Both teams shot over 50% in the first half, with the Hawks connecting on 52.2% of their first half attempts and the Red Flash hitting 55.6% of their field goals. Singer led the way for MU with eight first half points, while Womack and Paalvast each added seven points apiece. Daly had nine in the opening half to lead Saint Francis University.
The back-and-forth contest continued into the second half as neither team could build more than a one-possession lead within the first nine minutes of the half. After the Red Flash took a three-point lead, Rooney converted a traditional three-point play to tie the game at 50-50 around the 10:00 mark.
MU shot 49% for the contest, while the Red Flash, who were paced by Shene Fleming's 14 points, shot 55.6%.
Monmouth returns to action on Saturday when it visits Smithfield, Rhode Island for a 1:00 pm tip with Bryant University.
