Iona Gaels (0-19, 0-8 MAAC) – 56
Monmouth Hawks (5-13, 3-4 MAAC) – 68
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ  – Outscoring the Gaels 40-23 in the second half, the Monmouth University women's basketball team earned the regular season sweep over Iona on Monday night, 68-56. Sophomore Kayla Shaw scored 16 points in the win, including four three-pointers. Shaw now has 128 career triples, which moves her into 10^th in program history. Monmouth shot 25-54 (46.3%) from the floor and 10-23 (43.5%) from long range, and held Iona to just 21-56 (37.5%). Sophomore Rosa Graham added 12 points in the win, while sophomore Adriana Zelaya registered nine points and a career-high six rebounds. The Hawks improve to 5-13 (3-4 MAAC) on the season, and will travel to Saint Peter's on Friday, January 26.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"We were just tremendous in the second half with defense and rebounding. The effort level on defense was phenomenal, and I loved our poise down the stretch. We needed this badly, because our last two games were tough. It's great to play well and be rewarded." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
-Monmouth used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to go ahead early, but Iona quickly made up the deficit. With Iona leading 20-17 late in the first quarter, junior Dana Carbone hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 20.
-Iona held Monmouth to just eight points in the second quarter, and the Gaels took a 33-28 lead into halftime.
-A three-pointer from Rosa Graham made it a one-point Iona lead at 37-36 with 4:49 left in the third quarter.
-With Monmouth trailing 41-38 late in the third, Zelaya and Shaw hit back-to-back triples to end the period. The Hawks took a 44-41 lead into the fourth.
-Shaw drained her fourth triple of the game with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter, giving Monmouth a 53-43 lead.
-The last time these two teams met (Jan. 13), the Hawks outscored Iona 15-5 in the final frame to take the win. Tonight, Monmouth outscored the Gaels 24-15 in the final frame to take the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Shaw scored in double-figures for the 10th time this season and 29^th of her career with 16 points.
-Graham scored in double-figures for the sixth time in the last eight games.
-Monmouth held the 39-29 advantage in rebounds.
-Erica Balman picked up another nine rebounds on the night, which led the team.
-With four more triples tonight, Shaw passed Alexis Canady (2008-12) for 10^th all-time.
-The Hawks went 8-13 from the line, including Graham's perfect 4-4.
-Seven different Hawks scored at least four points in the win.
-Monmouth's largest lead was 15 with 1:28 left in the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will travel to Saint Peter's on Friday for a 7:00 PM matchup. On January 7, Monmouth defeated the Peacocks in West Long Branch, 51-44. Senior Rhaiah Spooner-Knight narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Sophomore Alaina Jarnot added 11 points, while sophomore Alexa Middleton grabbed nine rebounds.