Box Score PRINCETON, NJ – Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan [Seton Hall]) scored all of her 10 points in an 18-0 fourth-quarter run, but the Monmouth University women's basketball team fell at intrastate foe Princeton, 81-70, Tuesday night at Jadwin Gymnasium. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 2-5, while the Tigers improve to 7-1. Princeton entered the game receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls.

Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) scored all of her game-high 15 points in the first half, while Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) added 12 points and six assists. Jasmine Walker (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) also finished in double figures with 10 points off the bench. Tyese Purvis (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis [Monroe C.C.]) also chipped in with nine points, while Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Annie Tarakchian and Alex Wheatley each scored 15 points to lead Princeton, with Tarakchian also finishing with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. Taylor Brown added nine points, while Michelle Miller and Qalea Ismail chipped in with eight points apiece.  

“Princeton is such a strong team. I think games like this really prepare us for the future and conference play,” said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. “I thought we shot the ball really well today. At one point, we were close to 50 percent from the three-point line. We were able to get some people some quality minutes. We're going to need to be able to go nine or 10 deep moving forward and I think those minutes will come back and help us down the road. Overall, of course we would've liked a different outcome, but Princeton is a Top 25 team and I feel like we competed today.”

The Hawks got out to a fast start, with Bethune getting inside for a lay-up and Olson knocking down a pair of threes to put Monmouth on top, 8-2, after less than three minutes. The lead extended to seven on a Purvis three at the 6:29 mark. But Princeton would score 13-straight points and 18 of the final 21 points of the quarter to take a 22-14 lead after one quarter and never trailed again.

The Princeton run extended to 22-3 early in the second quarter before a Mitchell three and an Olson three-point play got the Hawks back to within eight, 28-20, at the 7:35 mark. An Olson three with 6:28 left in the period further whittled the Tigers' lead to seven, 32-25. Princeton gradually worked its lead back up to 17 points, 48-31, before Dana Carbone (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) knocked down a three to cut the deficit to 48-34 at the half.

Olson led the Hawks with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range, in the first half. Bethune added seven points and four assists, while Purvis had six first-half points. Wheatley scored Princeton's first eight points and finished with 11 for the half. Brown added seven points, while Tarakchian, Vanessa Smith and Miller had five points apiece as Princeton shot 60.7 percent (17-28) in the initial stanza, including 3-for-3 from long range. The Tigers also got the line with regularity, shooting 11-of-15 from the charity stripe. Princeton enjoyed a 24-6 edge in points in the paint and a 22-3 advantage in bench scoring in the first half.

The Tigers scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and gradually extended their lead to as many as 31, 71-40, with 2:26 left to play in the period. Tarakchian led Princeton with 10 points in the quarter.

Trailing 79-50 with just over five minutes left in the game, the Hawks went on an 18-0 run to close to within 11 points. McCall scored all of her 10 points in the final five minutes, including a three-pointer and a conventional three-point play. Walker capped the 18-0 run with a three-pointer with 1:38 left in regulation. The two teams would trade buckets in the final minute of play as the Tigers came away with the 11-point victory.

For the game, Princeton outshot the Hawks, 49.1 percent (28-57) to 37.3 percent (25-67) from the floor and 79.2 percent (19-24) to 58.3 percent (7-12) from the free-throw line. The Hawks shot 43.3 percent (13-30) to the Tigers' 40.0 percent (6-15) from long range. Princeton enjoyed a 45-32 edge on the boards, while also taking a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint.

The Hawks return to non-conference action Thursday, when they play host to Eastern Michigan. Tip-off from the Multipurpose Activity Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.