Albany Great Danes (1-4) – 56
Monmouth Hawks (1-4) - 64
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Getting contributions from nine different scorers, the Monmouth University women's basketball team earned its first win of the season over Albany on Wednesday night, 64-56. The Hawks led by as many as 20 with 5:47 left, and were able to hold off a late run by the Great Danes. A 36-17 advantage in the second and third quarters helped the Hawks pull away. Junior Sierra Green led the team for the fourth consecutive game with 15 points, and junior Rosa Graham went into double-figures for the first time this year with 10 points. Junior Alexa Middleton grabbed 12 rebounds in the win, including eight on the offensive glass. Monmouth forced 20 Albany turnovers, and capitalized with 20 points off turnovers. The Hawks improve to 1-4 on the season, and will travel to Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"Defensively, we made more plays. We struggled down the stretch to close, and that's something we need to spend some more time on. Overall, I was pleased with our performance. We're coming together more consistently. This is a growth process and we're learning every game."  - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
-Graham scored eight points in the first 3:36 of the game, putting Monmouth ahead early.
-Monmouth led 13-7 in the middle of the first quarter, but Albany went on a 7-0 run to end the opening frame. At the end of one, the Great Danes led 14-13.  
-The Hawks used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to go ahead 25-16.
-Monmouth eventually outscored Albany 23-9 in the second quarter, taking a commanding 36-23 halftime lead. The Hawks had seven different players score in the first half.
-The Hawks scored nine of the third quarter's first 12 points, building their lead to 19. The lead would eventually be 18 heading into the fourth quarter, as MU led 49-31.
-Albany went on a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut it to 58-48 with 4:41 to play.
-Despite a strong fourth quarter from the Great Danes (25-15 advantage), Monmouth was able to hang on for the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth shot a season-best 40.3% from the floor (25-62). In the second quarter, the Blue & White went 9-17 (52.9%).
-Graham played a career-high 35 minutes. She added five rebounds and four assists in the win.
-The Hawks won the rebounding battle 37-32.
-Senior Erica Balman added another three blocks, and has 12 on the season. Her 93 career swats moves her into a tie for sixth all-time.
-Monmouth led for 36:49.
-For the first time this season, Monmouth used the same starting lineup as last time out. Graham, Green, senior McKinzee Barker, freshman Lucy Thomas and Balman got the nod again
-Monmouth led at halftime for the first time this season.
-The Hawks only turned the ball over six times in the first half, and scored 16 points off 11 Albany turnovers.
 
 
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will hit the road for three straight games, beginning at Sacred Heart on Sunday. Tip is set for 1:00 PM in Connecticut. The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 18-13. Last year, Monmouth earned a 69-64 win in the season opener.