STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Junior guard Alysha Womack (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) scored
a game-high 16 points, including the 1,000th of her career, as the
Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated Wagner, 70-54, Saturday
afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center. With the win, the Hawks clinched a berth
in the Northeast Conference Tournament, and improved to 15-11 (10-5 NEC), while
the Seahawks fall to 2-24 (1-14 NEC).
"First of all, I'm
really happy with the victory," said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. It clinched
an NEC Tournament spot and now, the next three games are just as big for
different reasons. But we're in. It was a total team effort. We had some foul
trouble in the first half and a few players stepped in with great minutes.
Chanel, Gabby (Singer) and Shira (Shecht) stepped in with great minutes. We
really needed that to sustain our defensive effort. With Gena (Broadus) out and
Betsy (Gadziala) and Abby in foul trouble, their play was critical today. I'm happy
that our defense in the first half was tremendous, but we struggled to score. In
the past, sometimes we've let our offense dictate our defense. But we kept our defense
up even though we were struggling offensively. That shows that our team is
growing. And shooting 72.7 percent in second half shows we're heading in the
right direction."
Womack becomes
the 15th player in Monmouth Division I history to score 1,000 points
in their career, and just the fifth to accomplish the feat by the end of her
junior season. Chevannah Paalvast (Auckland, New Zealand/Massey) and Abby
Martin (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) had 13 points apiece for the Hawks, while
Chanel Gomez (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy [Brookdale C.C.]) compiled her
third career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Gomez's
double-double was her first since Feb. 11, 2010 against Mount St. Mary's.
Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) also chipped in seven points
and a team-high six assists for the Hawks.
"I'm just really
happy for Alysha to be able to score her 1,000th point," said
Palmateer. "It's a credit to her to do that by the end of her junior year. She's
had such an Impact on the program since her freshman year. She's been playing
really well since returning in December. I'd love to have her for her next
1,000 points. She's such an asset to the team."
Kelly Clark led
Wagner with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Marie-Laurent Archambault added
12 points. Veronick Fournier had nine points and seven rebounds, while Jacqui
Thompson dished out a game-high seven assists.
A rocky first
half that saw the Hawks shoot just 27.3 percent (9-33) from the floor ended
with the teams knotted at 24-24. Paalvast finished the half with seven points
to lead the Hawks, while Archambault paced the Seahawks with nine points,
including a pair of three-pointers. The Seahawks mustered just 27.6 percent
(8-29) from the floor in the initial stanza.
The Hawks opened
the second half by making 12 of their first 14 shots (85.7 percent) to create a
double-digit lead. Included in the spurt was a driving lay-up by Womack at the
16:59 mark, pushing her past the 1,000-point plateau. All told, the Hawks' run
finished at 15-1, covering six minutes. Monmouth's lead reached as many as 19
points on two occasions in the second half and the Hawks never again let the
advantage reach single digits. The Hawks shot a remarkable 72.7 percent (16-22)
in the second half.
For the game, the
Hawks outshot the Seahawks, 45.5 percent (25-55) to 30.5 percent (18-59) from
the floor, including a 45.5 percent (5-11) to 30.5 percent (5-19) edge from
long distance. Monmouth also took a 60.0 percent (15-25) to 43.3 percent
(13-30) cushion at the free-throw line. Wagner outrebounded the Hawks, 46-41.
The Hawks return
to action Monday, when they travel to Emmitsburg, Md., to take on Mount St.
Mary's. Opening tip from Knott Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
