WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half and Dana Carbone scored all 24 of her points in the second half as the Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated Kutztown, 84-52, in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center. The game served as a final tune-up prior to the Hawks' regular-season opener Friday, Nov. 13 at Lehigh.

Carbone scored her 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from long range, and hit all four of her free-throw attempts while also dishing out two assists and making two steals. Olson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, hitting on a pair of trifectas, while also knocking down 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She also finished with a game-high four steals. Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) also chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds, while Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. McKinzee Barker (Bomont, WV/Clay County) also contributed a game-high four assists.

Kutztown came out strong in the opening minutes, taking a three-point lead twice, before Monmouth took the lead for good on Bethune's fast-break lay-up at the 5:20 mark of the first quarter. Still a two-point game after the first quarter, Monmouth used a 13-2 spurt to create a 15-point lead. Amanda Offenback (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross) hit a three-pointer and connected on a lay-up early in the run, before Olson capped it with a trifecta and two free throws. Kutztown closed the half on an 8-0 run to cut the Hawks' lead to 36-29 at the break.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Carbone checked in and the Hawks went on a 7-0 run. She hit a three and added a lay-up within 36 seconds of each other to cap the run. Carbone's second three-pointer in as many attempts made it an 18-point lead before she made a steal and laid it in herself 15 seconds later to help Monmouth extend to a 20-point lead. She finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting (2-for-3 3-pt. FG) in the quarter.

Monmouth stretched its lead to 26 with a 10-0 run that began with Barker's pull-up jumper in the paint, while Bethune had a fast-break lay-up and Carbone, Rachel Odumu (Manassas, VA/Miller School of Albemarle) and Olson each made 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Carbone's third three-pointer made it a 27-point lead, and after a Kutztown bucket, her fourth trifecta pushed the lead to 28 points. For good measure, Carbone hit consecutive lay-ups as the Monmouth lead grew to 32 points, before it reached its high point on a Danica Dragicevic (Belgrade, Serbia/XV Beogradska Gimnazija) jumper in the paint that Carbone assisted on.

For the game, Monmouth outshot Kutztown, 50.0 percent (30-60) to 29.7 percent (19-64) from the floor, including a 43.8 percent (7-16) to 11.1 percent (2-18) edge from long range. The Hawks also connected at an 89.5 percent (17-19) clip from the free-throw line to the Golden Bears' 75.0 percent (12-16). Monmouth controlled the boards to the tune of a 46-31 margin, with the edge coming entirely on the defensive glass (31-16). The Hawks took a 42-22 advantage in the paint, a 16-4 edge in fast-break points and a 40-23 discrepancy in bench scoring.