WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Carly Thibault (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) scored a
game-high 18 points and hit four three-pointers, but the Monmouth University
women's basketball team's comeback bid against Saint Francis University fell
short in a 63-49 loss Monday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center.
With the setback, the Hawks fall to 5-10 (2-2 NEC) while the Red Flash
maintains its unblemished conference mark at 9-6 (4-0 NEC).
Alysha Womack (Springfield,
Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) added 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench. No other Hawk
had more than four points. Thibault also added a career-high nine rebounds,
including five on the offensive glass. Gabby Singer (Harrisburg, Pa./Central
Dauphin) and Abigail Martin (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) paced the Hawks with
four steals apiece.
Nickia Gibbs led Saint
Francis with 17 points, while Alli Williams added a double-double of 15 points
and 10 rebounds. Williams also added a team-high four steals. Brittany Lilley
dished out a game-high five assists.
The Red Flash scored first
and never trailed. Saint Francis scored seven of the first nine points and
gradually worked the lead up to 18 points on Williams' jumper with 40 seconds left
in the first half. A pair of Sara English (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West
[UMass]) free throws cut the deficit to 29-13 at the half. Gibbs led Saint
Francis with eight points at the break, while Williams added seven points and
eight rebounds prior to the halftime buzzer. Womack led the Hawks with five
points, while four other Hawks had two points each. The Hawks struggled
offensively in the first half, shooting just 16.0 percent (4-25) from the floor.
With the Red Flash leading by
20, 41-21, with 13:33 remaining in the second half, the Hawks reeled off nine
straight points from four different players to cut the deficit to 11. Later in
the half, a Thibault three-pointer, one of four buried by the senior guard in
the half, cut the Red Flash lead to 10 points with 3:36 remaining. But the
Hawks would draw no closer. Monmouth outscored Saint Francis, 36-34, in the second
half.
For the game, the Red Flash
outshot the Hawks, 46.7 percent (21-45) to 29.1 percent (16-55) from the floor
and 42.9 percent (6-14) to 33.3 percent (6-18) from long range. The Hawks took
a 68.8 percent (11-16) to 62.5 percent (15-24) edge from the free-throw line.
The teams each grabbed 35 rebounds. Saint Francis outscored the Hawks, 29-19,
off turnovers, while the Hawks took the edge in second-chance points (16-9) and
bench scoring (22-6).
The Hawks continue Northeast
Conference play Saturday afternoon at LIU Brooklyn. Opening tip from the Wellness
Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
