WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) scored a season-high 24 points and Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) posted her first-career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Monmouth University women's basketball team came from behind to defeat Canisius, 79-75, Sunday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center. Trailing by two, Tyese Purvis (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis [Monroe C.C.]) nailed a three from the right wing with 46.2 seconds left to give Monmouth a lead it wouldn't relinquish. With the win, the Hawks improve to 8-15 (6-8 MAAC), while the Griffs slip to 9-14 (4-10 MAAC).

Olson did her damage on 8-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-11 from long range and 2-2 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and made four steals. Bethune was also 8-of-15 from the floor, while grabbing four of her 11 rebounds on the offensive glass. Jasmine Walker (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Purvis rounded out four Hawks in double figures with 10 points. Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) chipped in with four points, eight rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes before fouling out.

Crystal Porter matched Olson's 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line for Canisius. She also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists, but committed eight of Canisius' 23 turnovers. Maria Welch scored 20 points, hitting 6-of-9 three-point attempts, while also grabbing seven boards. Margret Halfdanardottir also reached double figures with 12 points for the Griffs.

"We needed this. We need some momentum going into the stretch we have coming up. This is our last home game for a little while, so I think it's a huge win for us," said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. "And really, give Canisius a lot of credit.  They're a really good team. They've been on the losing end of several that I feel could've gone either way. So, for us, we're really happy with this win."

Monmouth used a pair of 7-0 runs early to take a 14-2 lead and force Canisius to burn a pair of timeouts by the 6:25 mark of the first quarter. Bethune got inside for six points in the spurt. Olson made three three-point field goals in the opening stanza as the Hawks took a 25-16 lead after one. Porter made 3-of-4 field goals in the first quarter to lead Canisius with six points. The Griffs turned the ball over eight times in the opening period, but limited the damage by shooting 63.6 percent (7-11) from the floor. Monmouth took a 9-2 edge in points off turnovers.

The Hawks pushed their lead to  12, 31-19, on Olson's fourth three at the 7:35 mark of the second quarter, but Porter would score seven-straight points for the Griffs and Canisius outscored the Hawks, 26-9, the rest of the half. Monmouth briefly retook the lead in the midst of the 26-9 Griffs run on a Bethune three at the 1:36 mark, but Canisius scored the last seven points of the period to take a 45-40 lead into the break.

Porter led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, while Halfdanardottir and Welch chipped in with nine points apiece for Canisius. Olson led Monmouth with 12 points on 4-of-8 from long range, while Bethune added 11 points and six rebounds. Walker also added seven points, while Mitchell dished out five assists. Canisius shot an unconscious 68.0 percent (17-25) from the floor, including 62.5 percent (5-8) from long range.  

The Hawks gradually whittled away at the Griffs' advantage until Purvis tied the game at 53-53 with a trifecta from the left wing at the 2:36 mark of the third quarter. Canisius retook the lead with four Porter free throws at a Halfdanardottir three-point play before a McKinzee Barker (Bomont, WV/Clay County) putback of her own miss at the third-quarter buzzer cut the Griffs' lead to 60-58.

Following a Welch free throw to push the Griffs' lead to three, Olson hit a three to spark a 7-0 Monmouth run, giving the Hawks a 65-61 lead with 8:25 left in regulation. But Canisius had the answer with 10-straight points, including five from Sarah Cooley, to retake a 71-65 lead with 5:10 left. Driving lay-ups from Walker and Olson cut the deficit to two. Still trailing by two following 1-of-2 free throws from Welch with 1:16 remaining, Purvis nailed a right wing three with 46.2 seconds left to put Monmouth back on top for good.

After a defensive stop by Monmouth, Olson was fouled and calmly knocked down two free throws. Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan [Seton Hall]) then got a hand on Halfdanardottir's attempt at a three to tie the game and Walker made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it a two-possession game, 79-75, with 13.8 seconds left. One last Olson steal in the final 10 seconds officially sealed the Monmouth victory.

For the game, Canisius outshot the Hawks, 45.3 percent (24-53) to 43.7 percent (31-71) from the floor, including a 52.9 percent (9-17) to 37.9 percent (11-29) edge from long range. Canisius also took a 69.2 percent (18-26) to 54.5 percent (6-11) edge from the free-throw line. Monmouth outrebounded the Griffs, 41-36, and took advantages of 32-20 and 19-9 in the paint and on second chances, respectively. The Hawks forced 23 Canisius turnovers, while turning it over 15 times themselves. The win represents the Hawks' first victory this season when trailing at the half.

The Hawks return to action Thursday, when they travel to Manhattan. Tip-off from Draddy Gym is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN3.

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) scored a season-high 24 points and Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) posted her first-career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Monmouth University women's basketball team came from behind to defeat Canisius, 79-75, Sunday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center. Trailing by two, Tyese Purvis (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis [Monroe C.C.]) nailed a three from the right wing with 46.2 seconds left to give Monmouth a lead it wouldn't relinquish. With the win, the Hawks improve to 8-15 (6-8 MAAC), while the Griffs slip to 9-14 (4-10 MAAC).

 

Olson did her damage on 8-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-11 from long range and 2-2 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and made four steals. Bethune was also 8-of-15 from the floor, while grabbing four of her 11 rebounds on the offensive glass. Jasmine Walker (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Purvis rounded out four Hawks in double figures with 10 points. Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) chipped in with four points, eight rebounds and five assists in 22 minutes before fouling out.

 

Crystal Porter matched Olson's 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line for Canisius. She also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists, but committed eight of Canisius' 23 turnovers. Maria Welch scored 20 points, hitting 6-of-9 three-point attempts, while also grabbing seven boards. Margret Halfdanardottir also reached double figures with 12 points for the Griffs.

 

"We needed this. We need some momentum going into the stretch we have coming up. This is our last home game for a little while, so I think it's a huge win for us," said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. "And really, give Canisius a lot of credit.  They're a really good team. They've been on the losing end of several that I feel could've gone either way. So, for us, we're really happy with this win."

 

Monmouth used a pair of 7-0 runs early to take a 14-2 lead and force Canisius to burn a pair of timeouts by the 6:25 mark of the first quarter. Bethune got inside for six points in the spurt. Olson made three three-point field goals in the opening stanza as the Hawks took a 25-16 lead after one. Porter made 3-of-4 field goals in the first quarter to lead Canisius with six points. The Griffs turned the ball over eight times in the opening period, but limited the damage by shooting 63.6 percent (7-11) from the floor. Monmouth took a 9-2 edge in points off turnovers.

 

The Hawks pushed their lead to  12, 31-19, on Olson's fourth three at the 7:35 mark of the second quarter, but Porter would score seven-straight points for the Griffs and Canisius outscored the Hawks, 26-9, the rest of the half. Monmouth briefly retook the lead in the midst of the 26-9 Griffs run on a Bethune three at the 1:36 mark, but Canisius scored the last seven points of the period to take a 45-40 lead into the break.

 

Porter led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, while Halfdanardottir and Welch chipped in with nine points apiece for Canisius. Olson led Monmouth with 12 points on 4-of-8 from long range, while Bethune added 11 points and six rebounds. Walker also added seven points, while Mitchell dished out five assists. Canisius shot an unconscious 68.0 percent (17-25) from the floor, including 62.5 percent (5-8) from long range.   

 

The Hawks gradually whittled away at the Griffs' advantage until Purvis tied the game at 53-53 with a trifecta from the left wing at the 2:36 mark of the third quarter. Canisius retook the lead with four Porter free throws at a Halfdanardottir three-point play before a McKinzee Barker (Bomont, WV/Clay County) putback of her own miss at the third-quarter buzzer cut the Griffs' lead to 60-58.

 

Following a Welch free throw to push the Griffs' lead to three, Olson hit a three to spark a 7-0 Monmouth run, giving the Hawks a 65-61 lead with 8:25 left in regulation. But Canisius had the answer with 10-straight points, including five from Sarah Cooley, to retake a 71-65 lead with 5:10 left. Driving lay-ups from Walker and Olson cut the deficit to two. Still trailing by two following 1-of-2 free throws from Welch with 1:16 remaining, Purvis nailed a right wing three with 46.2 seconds left to put Monmouth back on top for good.

 

After a defensive stop by Monmouth, Olson was fouled and calmly knocked down two free throws. Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan [Seton Hall]) then got a hand on Halfdanardottir's attempt at a three to tie the game and Walker made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it a two-possession game, 79-75, with 13.8 seconds left. One last Olson steal in the final 10 seconds officially sealed the Monmouth victory.

 

For the game, Canisius outshot the Hawks, 45.3 percent (24-53) to 43.7 percent (31-71) from the floor, including a 52.9 percent (9-17) to 37.9 percent (11-29) edge from long range. Canisius also took a 69.2 percent (18-26) to 54.5 percent (6-11) edge from the free-throw line. Monmouth outrebounded the Griffs, 41-36, and took advantages of 32-20 and 19-9 in the paint and on second chances, respectively. The Hawks forced 23 Canisius turnovers, while turning it over 15 times themselves. The win represents the Hawks' first victory this season when trailing at the half.

 

The Hawks return to action Thursday, when they travel to Manhattan. Tip-off from Draddy Gym is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN3.