MONMOUTH (1-0, 0-0 MAAC) - 69
ROBERT MORRIS (1-1, 0-0 NEC) - 56
MOON TOWNSHIP, PA – After a Rosa Graham layup with 7:31 left in the first quarter, Monmouth University's women's basketball team took an 8-7 lead against former NEC-rival Robert Morris and never looked back. Senior Tyese Purvis led all scorers with 15 points, while the freshman Graham went 6-6 from the line to net 14 points in her first collegiate game. After missing all of last year with a knee injury, guard Helena Kurt poured in 11 points and added five assists in her return.
NOTES AND QUOTES
“We're just really excited. I think we did a lot of really good things today, being able to come out here and beat a really talented Robert Morris team. I think our youngsters did what we knew they could do, and our upperclassmen led the way for us. We're excited about moving forward.” – Monmouth head coach Jenny Palmateer
“We came out strong and worked hard on the defensive end. We did what we had to do and stuck together. It's really important to set the tone and get the first win, and we're really excited to move on from this win and sustain the positive energy.” – Senior Tyese Purvis
-Today was Monmouth's first win in a season-opener since 2008-2009, when the Hawks beat Saint Peter's 59-47 in overtime.
-Freshman Rosa Graham's 14 points are the most by any Monmouth freshman in their debut since at least 2004-2005.
-In addition to Graham, freshmen Alaina Jarnot, Alexa Middleton, Kayla Shaw, Taylor Nason all scored their first career points in their collegiate debuts. The five freshmen all saw minutes in the first five minutes of the game and all notched at least 14 minutes.
-Junior transfer Kayla Quintana also made her debut for the Hawks, scoring 3 points while adding a rebound and a block.
-With 3:23 left in the first quarter, Quintana hit a three. On the inbound, Jarnot forced a turnover and hit Purvis for a three. Immediately after, Jarnot stole the ball from the Colonials and assisted a Purvis layup. Within 23 seconds, Monmouth scored eight points and extended its lead to 20-9.
-With 5:48 left in the third quarter, Monmouth extended its lead to 19 on a Taylor Nason layup. Robert Morris would later cut that lead to 9 with 1:00 left in regulation, but the Hawks pulled away with four straight free throws to cement the win.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Eleven different Hawks saw the floor in the first quarter, including six that made their Monmouth debuts.
-Jarnot was the lone freshman to start and stuffed the stat sheet early and often on Sunday, ending with 9 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals in 27 minutes.
-Monmouth held Robert Morris to just seven points in the second quarter. The Colonials shot just 3-15 from the field in the quarter.
-Graham hit multiple free throws down the stretch, ending a perfect 6-6 from the line. As a team, Monmouth shot 16-24 (67%) from the stripe.
-In total, ten Monmouth players scored on the day, with Purvis, Graham, and Kurt all contributing double figures.
-Christina Mitchell added two blocks, increasing her career total to 108 which ranks fourth in program history.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will travel to Brooklyn Heights, NY on Wednesday for a matchup with St. Francis Brooklyn at 7:00 PM. Monmouth holds a 52-5 all-time record with the Terriers, including last year's 63-54 win. The team will host its season opener on Saturday, November 19 when they welcome the Clemson Tigers to the OceanFirst Bank Center. That game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
