LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Senior guard Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan [Seton Hall]) scored a team-high 19 points to lead five Hawks in double figures as the Monmouth University women's basketball team ran past hOURglass rival Rider, 87-75, Thursday afternoon at Alumni Gym. With the win, the Hawks improve to 6-11 (4-4 MAAC), while the Broncs slip to 4-14 (1-8 MAAC). The 87 points represent the most scored in a conference game this season by any MAAC program.

The Hawks hit 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from long range and never trailed in the victory. McCall connected on 7-of-11 field-goal attempts, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) contributed 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) matched Olson's 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Dana Carbone (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) connected for 13 points, including 7-of-10 from the free-throw line and 2-of-3 from long range, while Tyese Purvis (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis [Monroe C.C.]) rounded out the double-figures scorers with 12 points on a three-point field goal in each of the four quarters (4-for-5 three-point field goals). Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) also added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds and four blocks.  

Kamila Hoskova led Rider with a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. C'quoya Haughton added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Robin Perkins also scored 13 points and made three steals. Julia Duggan contributed eight points, eight rebounds and four assists.

"It was nice to see us being able to hit some shots early. I think that was the fuel for us in the first half," said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. "We're really pleased to be able to get our first conference road win. But we know that moving forward, we'll need to be able to string together four quarters a little better."

The Hawks raced out to a 10-2 lead in the first 2:18, including four points apiece from McKinzee Barker (Bomont, WV/Clay County) and Bethune. The lead swelled to 13 by the end of the first quarter, with Olson scoring seven points and McCall adding six. Monmouth shot 52.6 percent (10-19) from the floor, including conversions on all four three-point attempts in the first quarter. The Hawks forced nine Rider turnovers in the period.

Monmouth continued to extend the lead in the second quarter, scoring nine of the first 13 points to push the lead to 18, 34-16, on Bethune's second-straight bucket at the 5:39 mark. The two teams played evenly through the final five-plus minutes, leaving the Hawks' lead at 18, 44-26, at the half.

Bethune led a balanced Hawks offense with 12 points at the break, while Olson added nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. McCall had eight, while Purvis and Barker also added six points apiece. Monmouth shot 45.0 percent (18-40) in the first half, including 66.7 percent (6-9) from long range. Monmouth forced 14 Rider turnovers and took a 12-6 advantage on points off turnovers. Monmouth's bench also outscored that of Rider, 11-0. Hoskova led Rider with 10 points, while Haughton added eight points.

Monmouth's lead continued to grow to 26 just past the midway point of the third quarter, with McCall and Carbone hitting two free throws apiece. But Rider gradually whittled away at the Hawks' advantage and made it a 66-48 lead after three. Rider further cut the deficit to 16 on a Lexi Posset lay-up to open the fourth-quarter scoring, before Purvis and McCall sandwiched three-pointers around a Mitchell lay-up for an 8-0 run, pushing the lead back to 24. An 11-0 Rider run late cut the Monmouth lead to 11, but that was as close as the Broncs would get.

For the game, Rider outshot Monmouth, 46.0 percent (29-63) to 42.9 percent (30-70) from the floor and 77.8 percent (14-18) to 76.2 percent (16-21) from the free-throw line. Monmouth took a 61.1 percent (11-18) to 30.0 percent (3-10) edge from long range and outrebounded the Broncs, 40-37. The Hawks also outscored Rider, 19-8, on second-chance points, while the Monmouth bench took a 32-10 edge on Rider's reserves.