WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Jamiyah Bethune (Union, N.J./Union [Penn State]) scored a season-high 14 points, all in the second half to help erase a 16-point deficit, but the Monmouth University women's basketball team fell to Saint Peter's, 68-63, Sunday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center. The Hawks fall to 1-11 (0-1 MAAC) with the loss, while the Peacocks improve to 2-8 (1-0 MAAC) with the win. The game represented the first-ever MAAC contest for the Monmouth women's basketball program.

Bethune infused the Hawks with energy in the second half, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while making a game-high three steals. Kasey Chambers (Belmar, N.J./St. Rose) added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-for-3 from long range. Shira Shecht (Pardessiya, Israel/Hadassim) chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Kaydine Bent led Saint Peter's with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Hala Mostafa, Bridget Whitfield and Aziza May added 11 points apiece. Both Mostafa and May grabbed six rebounds, while May also contributed six assists.   

“When we're not playing with energy the way we need to, it doesn't matter whether I go with a big line-up, a small line-up, go zone, man, trap; it's not going to work,” said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. “When we play with energy, we can run just about anything and it would work. We just have to work on playing with that energy level more consistently.”

After Monmouth took an early 4-3 lead on lay-ups by Helena Kurt (Spanga, Sweden/Igelstavikens Gymnasium) and Jasmine Walker (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick), Saint Peter's capped a 7-0 spurt on May's three-pointer to take its largest lead of the half at 10-4. The Hawks scored six straight points of their own on back-to-back Shecht buckets and a Sara English (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West [UMass]) lay-up to tie the game at 10-10. The Hawks surged ahead, 15-12, on the strength of four-straight English free throws. But Saint Peter's responded with a 7-0 run, with all seven points being scored by Bent, to take a 19-15 lead. Walker, English and Chevannah Paalvast (Auckland, New Zealand/Massey) scored lay-ups to put Monmouth back in front, 21-19, before the Peacocks scored the next five points and wouldn't relinquish the lead the rest of the half. A Marcia Senatus jumper pushed the lead back to six points and Saint Peter's would take a 33-27 advantage into the halftime break.

Bent led SPU with 11 points and five rebounds at the break, while May added nine points and four rebounds for the Peacocks. English scored eight points for the Hawks, while Shecht and Walker had six points apiece for Monmouth. The Hawks outshot the Peacocks, 52.4 percent (11-21) to 48.3 percent (14-29), but Saint Peter's took a 9-4 advantage in second-chance points after grabbing six first-half offensive rebounds. Four of the offensive boards came from Bent.

After the Hawks got the first bucket of the second half to cut the deficit to four points, Saint Peter's scored seven-straight points to push its lead to double digits. Gradually, the Peacocks built the lead up to 16 at the 10-minute mark on Whitfield's jumper in the paint. Monmouth scored six-straight points to cut the SPU lead to 10, and after two Bent free throws, Shecht nailed a three to whittle the deficit down to single digits. Bethune scored a pair of lay-ups to cut the Saint Peter's advantage to five with 4:08 remaining.

With the deficit at eight with 2:05 remaining, Chambers knocked down a three, and following 1-of-2 free throws from Antonia Smith, Bethune's lay-up made it a four-point deficit. Smith was then 2-for-2 from the line, but Chambers knocked down another trifecta to make it a three-point Saint Peter's lead with 1:06 left in regulation. Monmouth then forced a shot clock violation and Bethune buried a three from the right wing to tie the game at 63-63 with 26 seconds remaining. But Mostafa converted a three-point play off the inbounds with 14 seconds left and Shecht's quick lay-up attempt was too strong on the other end, ending the Hawks' threat.

For the game, Monmouth outshot Saint Peter's, 48.1 percent (26-54) to 47.1 percent (24-51) from the floor and 44.4 percent (4-9) to 31.8 percent (7-22) from long range. Saint Peter's took an 81.3 percent (13-16) to 53.8 percent (7-13) edge at the free-throw line and a 38-25 edge on the boards. Monmouth committed a season-low 10 turnovers, while forcing 17 Saint Peter's turnovers. The Hawks turned the discrepancy into a 21-8 edge in points off turnovers. Monmouth also took a 38-8 edge in point off the bench.

The Hawks return to MAAC action Tuesday, when they travel to Manhattan. Opening tip from Draddy Gym is scheduled for 2 p.m.