#9 Monmouth Hawks (10-20) – 61
#8 Canisius Golden Griffins (10-20) – 58
 
ALBANY, NY  – Trailing by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter, the No. 9 seed Monmouth University women's basketball outscored No. 8 seed Canisius 20-6 in the fourth quarter to advance to its fifth consecutive MAAC Quarterfinals, 61-58. Sophomore Kayla Shaw gave the Hawks their first lead of the game on a three-pointer with 1:57 remaining, and sophomore Rosa Graham hit two clutch free throws with 22.2 seconds remaining to seal the comeback victory. Senior Rhaiah Spooner-Knight led all scorers with 22 points, going 10-of-18 from the floor. The Hawks shot 49% (24-49) in the contest, and held Canisius to just 13.3% (2-15) from beyond the arc. Monmouth will face No. 1 seed Quinnipiac on Friday at 1:00 PM. The Bobcats enter the quarterfinal matchup with a 19-game winning streak, including an 18-0 regular season record in the MAAC.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 "I just loved our mentality. We talked about not playing to lose, and instead playing to win. We had the courage to make the plays we needed to make and picked up the defensive intensity. We were tenacious and made them earn everything. [The late three] was a perfect Kayla Shaw moment, because she shoots those like she knows she's going to make them. I'm hoping that after today, we know how to respond when [Quinnipiac] takes it to another level. We're going to have to be ready right out of the gate, but I believe we will be." – Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
"I'm just starting to play with more confidence, and it's coming at the right time. I love that my team trusts in me to make those types of plays when it comes down to it." –Spooner-Knight
-Canisius jumped out to a 9-0 lead to open the game, forcing Monmouth to call an early timeout.
-Monmouth quickly scored the next seven points, including a Shaw three, to make it 9-7. Spooner-Knight would later tie the game at 11 with a transition layup.
-The Golden Griffins ended the first quarter with a 6-0 run, taking a 17-11 lead after one.
-Canisius eventually built the run to 12-0, and led 23-11 with 7:27 left in the second quarter.
-The Golden Griffins led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but Monmouth rattled off a 14-2 run to get right back in it. At halftime, Canisius held the slight 33-26 lead.
-After Monmouth cut the deficit to 38-35 midway through the third quarter, Canisius scored five straight points and forced the Hawks to call a timeout. The Golden Griffins eventually outscored Monmouth 19-15 in the third quarter, but Spooner-Knight connected on a layup at the buzzer to make it a 52-41 deficit heading into the final frame.
-The Hawks erupted for a 15-4 run to open the fourth quarter, and tied the game at 56 with a Shaw triple.
-Shaw gave Monmouth its first lead of the game with 1:57 remaining on a deep triple. Coming out of a Canisius timeout, the Hawks led 59-56 with 48 seconds left.
-Sophomore Rosa Graham connected on two clutch free throws, making it 61-56 Monmouth with 22.2 seconds left.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Spooner-Knight scored in double-figures for the team-leading 20^th time this season.
-Shaw scored in double-figures for the 16^th time this season, ending with 13 points on three triples.
-Sophomore Alexa Middleton added eight points and eight rebounds.
-The Hawks registered their second-best shooting day of the season. They shot 49.1% against Niagara on February 10, and shot 49.0% today.
-Canisius outscored Monmouth 52-41 in the first three-quarters, but the Hawks held the 20-6 fourth quarter advantage.
-The Hawks overcame 26 turnovers to win the game.
-Monmouth held the advantage in rebounding at 36-25.
-The Hawks shot 58.3% in the fourth quarter and held the Golden Griffins to just 27.3%.
 
UP NEXT
The No. 9 seed Monmouth Hawks will face the No. 1 seed Quinnipiac Bobcats tomorrow at 1:00 PM. Quinnipiac has won 19 straight games, including 18 MAAC contests. On January 18, the Bobcats earned the 76-55 victory in West Long Branch. In the last game of the regular season (February 25), the Bobcats won 77-57. Last season, Quinnipiac won the MAAC Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.