ALBANY, NY – Senior guard Sarah Olson (Freehold, NJ/Howell [NJIT]) scored a game-high 18 points, but the fifth-seeded Monmouth University women's basketball team was edged by top-seeded Quinnipiac, 66-59, in the MAAC Championship Semifinals Sunday at the Times Union Center. The Hawks kept the game close throughout, including a 41-41 tie after three quarters and a one-point deficit midway through the fourth. Monmouth ends its season at 14-17 after seeing its season-best five-game winning streak snapped. The Bobcats (24-7), who've now won 19-straight games, advance to the MAAC Championship Game against the winner of today's second semifinal between No. 2 Iona and No. 3 Marist.   

Jasmine Walker (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals for the Hawks. Six of her seven rebounds came on the offensive glass. Jasmine McCall (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan [Seton Hall]) also contributed nine points and two assists, while Jamiyah Bethune (Union, NJ/Union [Penn State]) chipped in with four points, a game-high five assists and five rebounds. Christina Mitchell (Baltimore, MD/MATHS) led Monmouth on the boards with eight rebounds.

Morgan Manz led Quinnipiac with 13 points to go along with six rebounds, while MAAC Rookie of the Year Aryn McClure posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Paula Strautmane also chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists.

"It's been a great tournament for us. We had a great time competing against the best," said Monmouth Head Coach Jenny Palmateer. "I'm really proud of our team and the run that we were able to make. Our seniors will be sorely missed. They've put their stamp on our program in a lot of ways. We're disappointed that we lost this game, but we leave the locker room with our heads held high. I felt like we played as hard as we possibly could. Everybody left everything out there and in the end, that's all you can ask for."

Neither team could create separation in the first half, with both teams building four-point leads in the first quarter and Monmouth edging ahead, 16-15, after one. It was a one-possession game throughout the second quarter, with Manz connecting on a pair of free throws with 33 seconds remaining to send the game to the half tied at 28-28.

Olson led the Hawks with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and 2-of-4 from long range. Walker also added six points and five rebounds. Manz led Quinnipiac with nine points and four rebounds, while Maria Napolitano scored six points before exiting due to injury in the second quarter. Monmouth narrowly outshot the Bobcats, 33.3 percent (11-33) to 30.3 percent (10-33) in the first half.

The Hawks went on a 7-0 run on the strength of three-pointers from Walker and Purvis to take a 36-32 lead with just under five minutes to play in the third. But Quinnipiac answered with a 9-2 run, including five points from Strautmane and four points from Sarah Shewan, to take a 41-38 lead. But McCall's conventional three-point play with 4.5 seconds left in the quarter tied the game at 41-41 after three.

Carly Fabbri knocked down a three in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and the Bobcats never trailed again. Monmouth twice cut the deficit to one, the second on a McKinzee Barker (Bomont, WV/Clay County) fast-break floater at the 5:02 mark. But Quinnipiac again had the answer with the next six points. The lead swelled to as many as eight on Adily Martucci's three-pointer with 2:52 left to play. The Hawks kept battling and cut the Bobcats' lead to four on three more occasions, but could draw no closer.

For the game, Monmouth outshot Quinnipiac, 34.5 percent (20-58) to 31.3 percent (20-64) from the field and 28.6 percent (6-21) to 28.0 percent (7-25) from long range. The Hawks also took a 44-40 edge on the glass. Quinnipiac outshot Monmouth, 79.2 percent (19-24) to 65.0 percent (13-20) at the free-throw line and turned a 21-10 discrepancy in turnovers into a 23-7 advantage on points off turnovers.