Niagara Purple Eagles (9-16, 6-8 MAAC) – 63
Monmouth Hawks (7-17, 5-8 MAAC) – 65
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ  – Sophomore guard Kayla Shaw nailed her sixth triple of the game with 17.8 seconds left, and the Monmouth University women's basketball team held on for the wild win over Niagara on Saturday afternoon, 65-63. Shaw took the swing pass from senior Rhaiah Spooner-Knight, drilled the corner three with seconds remaining, and the Hawks came up big on the defensive end to seal the win. Monmouth was led by Shaw's 20 points in the win, while sophomore forward Alexa Middleton added eight points, eight rebounds, and a career-high four blocks. The teams went back and forth throughout the game, totaling 16 lead changes. Monmouth had its best shooting day of the season, going 28-57 (49.1%) on the afternoon. The Hawks improved to 7-17 (5-8 MAAC) with the thrilling win, and looks to keep to momentum when they host Manhattan on Monday night.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 "We're learning how to close. It was really good to see us have the poise to execute that play. We managed to get a great shot after getting the ball to the right person. And then to defend the way we did, I'm so proud of them." – Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
"Kayla is such a hard worker and she's amazing in the locker room as a leader, so it was great to see her bust out."-  Craig on Kayla Shaw
"I've been struggling at times this season. Today I woke up and told myself this is the day I'm not doubting myself, and this is the day my team comes together and gets this win. Today we learned that we can pull through, overcome adversity, and just keep fighting all game." – Sophomore guard Kayla Shaw
-Monmouth jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the first quarter thanks to five different scorers, forcing Niagara to call a timeout with 4:06 left.
-Niagara hit a buzzer-beating triple at the end of the first, but the Hawks still maintained a 21-16 lead after one.
-The Purple Eagles outscored the Hawks 20-12 in the second quarter, and took the slight 36-33 lead at halftime.
-The Hawks outscored Niagara 19-16 in the third, setting up for a 52-52 tie heading into the fourth.
-The final frame saw an astounding nine lead changes, but the Hawks pulled it out with Shaw's late triple.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-With another six triples tonight, Shaw took sole possession of 7^th place in program history for three-point field goals (141).
-The Hawks shot 50% (14-28) in the first half.
-Niagara led for 18:15, while Monmouth led for 17:59.
-Monmouth dominated on the glass, holding a 47-25 advantage.
-Spooner-Knight ended with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and leads the team with 16 games in double-figures this year.
-Junior McKinzee Barker added seven points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals in the win.
-Sophomore Taylor Nason compiled seven points and six rebounds.
-Niagara went 7-10 from the line, while the Hawks went just 1-2.
-The Hawks turned the ball over 25 times, compared to Niagara's 10.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will remain home for the third time in five days when they welcome Manhattan on Monday. After Monmouth defeated the Jaspers in the first round of the MAAC Tournament last season, Manhattan defeated the Hawks in New York earlier this season, 63-53. Manhattan built its largest lead of 11 with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks used a 13-0 run to take a 51-49 lead with over five minutes to play. Over the last 4:18 of the game, the Jaspers outscored the Hawks 14-2 to take the 10-point win. Sophomore guard Kayla Shaw scored a game-high 20 points in the loss.