BETHLEHEM, PA –McKinzee Barker's three-pointer with time expiring narrowly missed as Monmouth University's women's basketball team was defeated by Hartford in the first game of the Christmas City Classic at Lehigh University, 75-72. Monmouth falls to 1-3 on the season after the battle of the Hawks and will face the loser of the Lehigh/Norfolk State game tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM.
NOTES AND QUOTES
“I was disappointed with the ending, but we hung in there well enough to give ourselves a shot at the buzzer. We battled and clawed to get back into the game several times, but it seemed like every time we had a shot to go over the hump, we would turn the ball over or commit a foul. I was proud of the way our team battled back to give ourselves a shot, but we have to start cleaning things up a little bit and value possessions more.” – Monmouth head coach Jenny Palmateer
“We feel like Hartford, Lehigh, and Norfolk State play a very similar style, so we'll be ready to go tomorrow. Fortunately for us, we're a pretty deep team and can play a lot of people, so we should be nice and fresh when we need to be.” – Monmouth head coach Jenny Palmateer
-Monmouth jumped out to a 10-point lead with 6:00 left in the second quarter on a McKinzee Barker jumper.
-Hartford seemingly took the 37-36 lead heading into halftime after a buzzer-beating three, but it was disallowed after a closer look. Monmouth maintained the 36-34 lead heading into the second half but was outscored in the third quarter 21-15.
-Monmouth never trailed in the first half, with their first deficit coming with 7:10 left in the third quarter. The Hawks regained the lead with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter on a Kayla Shaw three, but trailed for the rest of the game.
-Hartford was 22-34 from the free throw line while Monmouth was limited to just 6-10.
-Hartford had four score in double-figures, led by Lindsey Abed with 25 points and nine rebounds. The leading scorer coming into the contest was Deanna Mayza, who finished with 13 points and six assists in the win.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Freshman Alexa Middleton led Monmouth with 14 points on 6-6 shooting. Middleton also grabbed five rebounds and added a steal in the loss.
-Freshman Kayla Shaw hit four three-pointers on the day, giving her a total of 12 points. Shaw has already hit nine three-pointers in the first four games of her career, one behind Tyese Purvis for the team lead.
-Sophomore guard McKinzee Barker is no stranger to stuffing the stat sheet, which she did again against Hartford. Barker barely missed a double-double, registering 12 points (6-10 from the floor) and grabbing nine rebounds.
-Senior Christina Mitchell continues to climb Monmouth's all-time list of rebounders, securing another 12 against Hartford. Mitchell currently has 624 career rebounds, good for 10th in program history.
-Freshman Alaina Jarnot contributed 8 points and five assists in 29 minutes. The Brooklyn Park, MN native has started all four games to open her career.
UP NEXT
Monmouth will take on the loser of the Lehigh/Norfolk State game at 2:00 PM tomorrow at Stabler Arena. The Hawks will stay on the road after that, traveling to Niagara, Canisius, and Sacred Heart for the next three contests.
