NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Alysha Womack (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) hit a long jumper to
tie the game with 34 seconds left and nailed a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds
left as the Monmouth University women's basketball team surged from 12 points
down in the second half to defeat Central Connecticut, 59-56, Monday night at
Detrick Gym. With the win, the Hawks improve to 12-9 (7-3 NEC), while the Blue
Devils fall to 10-11 (4-6 NEC).
Womack finished with a
team-high 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Abby Martin (Maplewood,
N.J./Columbia) added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Carly Thibault (East
Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) and Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara)
contributed nine points apiece. Canady also dished out a game-high six assists
and made three steals. Gena Broadus (Washington, D.C./Archbishop Carroll
[George Mason]) also made three steals.
Kirsten Daamen scored a
game-high 20 points for CCSU, including 7-for-11 shooting and 14 points in the
second half. Jaclyn Babe also added 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds for
the Blue Devils, while Kaley Watras dished out five assists. Danielle Davis
also scored nine points for CCSU.
After the Hawks
established a 9-6 lead in the early going, CCSU went on a 13-2 run to take a
19-11 advantage at the 8:12 mark. The Blue Devils held MU to just one field
goal in nearly a nine-minute stretch of the period before Thibault broke the ice
with a triple at the 4:50 mark. Another Thibault three-pointer cut the deficit
to one point, 23-22, at the 2:19 mark and following 1-of-2 Davis free throws,
Womack converted a fast-break lay-up at the 2:00 mark to tie the game at 24-24.
The Blue Devils
took a two-point cushion into the locker room at halftime on the strength of a
pair of Babe free throws with 42 seconds left. The Blue Devils converted
9-of-10 free throws in the first half, compared to a 1-for-4 showing from the
Hawks. Martin led the Hawks with eight first-half points, while Womack and
Thibault added six points apiece. Babe had 11 points and six rebounds in the
initial stanza, including 6-for-6 shooting from the charity stripe.
Paired with
Babe's two free throws, the Blue Devils scored the first 10 points of the
second half to extend to a 12-0 run and a 36-24 advantage with 16:24 left in
regulation. The Hawks methodically outscored CCSU 14-4 over the next five
minutes to cut the deficit to two. Thibault and Womack each knocked down threes
in the run, while Womack's fast-break jumper made the score 40-38 CCSU with
11:48 left in regulation.
The teams
exchanged four four-point spurts and the CCSU lead remained two at 48-46 after
Martin's jumper at the seven-minute mark. Two Gabby Singer (Harrisburg,
Pa./Central Dauphin) free throws tied the game at 48-48, the first tie since
24-24 late in the first half.
After Daamen put
the Blue Devils back on top with a lay-up at 5:16, Womack gave the Hawks their
first lead since 9-8 just seven minutes into the game with a three-pointer with
4:39 left in the second half. Daamen again gave CCSU the lead, 52-51, with 4:21
left. Neither team could convert on their next possession, before Canady
knocked down a three-pointer to give the Hawks a 54-52 edge with 2:47 left.
Babe's jumper with 1:47 left knotted the score at 54-54, before Womack was
blocked by Daamen and the resulting fast break ended with a Davis lay-up to give
CCSU a 56-54 edge with 1:30 left.
Following misses
by both teams, Womack calmly knocked down a jumper with her toe on the
three-point line to tie the game at 56-56 with 31 seconds remaining. Following
a near-miss at a steal by Womack on the CCSU inbounds, the Hawks forced a
Watras miss in the paint with eight seconds remaining, rushed the ball across
half court and called timeout with 4.2 seconds remaining. Babe got a fingertip
on the inbound, causing Womack to bobble, recollect and can the left wing trifecta
with 1.2 seconds remaining. Following the full-court inbound pass, Babe's long
three-point attempt drew front iron and the Hawks collected the victory.
For the game, the
Blue Devils outshot the Hawks, 44.9 percent (22-49) to 35.5 percent (22-62) from
the floor and 91.7 percent (11-12) to 50.0 percent (6-12) from the free-throw
line. The Hawks took a 50.0 percent (9-18) to 25.0 percent (1-4) edge from long
range. CCSU outrebounded MU, 37-33, while the Hawks forced 17 turnovers and
gave the ball away just 10 times.
The Hawks home to
face NEC foe Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon. Opening tip from the MAC is
scheduled for 3 p.m.
