Niagara Purple Eagles (9-11, 5-3 MAAC) – 54
Monmouth Hawks (7-11, 3-4 MAAC) - 76
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ  – Leading by at least 17 points for the final three quarters, the Monmouth University women's basketball team ran away with a convincing win over Niagara on Saturday afternoon, 76-54. The 22-point win was Monmouth's largest since December 6, 2015 when the Blue & White beat Niagara by 23. The Hawks had their best shooting performance of the season, going 32-65 (49%) in the contest, and the 76 points were a season high.  Monmouth jumped out to a 27-10 lead after the first quarter, and never looked back en route to its second straight MAAC victory. Freshman Lucy Thomas scored a season-high 19 points on 9-13 from the floor. Junior Alexa Middleton registered her second double-double in three games, adding an impressive 17 points (8-11 FG) and 15 rebounds. Junior Sierra Green scored in double figures for the 15^th time in 18 games, securing another 15 points on four triples. Monmouth improves to 7-11 (3-4 MAAC) on the season, and will host Quinnipiac next Friday, February 1 at 7:00 PM.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"It was by far our best performance to date. We started out well every quarter, and did a great job defensively by not giving them consistent looks. It was nice to see everyone play and get a complete effort. We had a great crowd today for National Girls and Women In Sports Day, and I was proud to have this performance with everyone that was in the building today."  -  Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Monmouth took an early 7-0 lead, including a three-pointer and a nifty crossover layup from Green. Niagara was forced to take a timeout with 8:10 left in the first. The Purple Eagles quickly answered and tied the game at seven.
-The Hawks went on a 12-0 run in the middle of the first quarter, going ahead 19-7.
-By the end of the first quarter, Monmouth led 27-10. It was the team's highest scoring quarter of the season.
-The Hawks kept it going in the second quarter, scoring the first five points to go ahead 32-10.
-Niagara did not score in the second quarter until 4:08 remained. After the Hawks led by 23, Niagara went on a 6-0 run to close the half.
-Monmouth took a 39-22 lead into halftime, shooting 17-34 from the floor. The Hawks also held a 27-13 rebounding advantage in the first half.
-Monmouth kept its foot on the gas in the third, outscoring Niagara 18-11 to take a 57-33 lead into the final frame.
-Niagara had a slight 21-19 advantage in the fourth, but it was not nearly enough as the Hawks won by 22.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Green scored in double figures for the 15^th time in 18 games. She leads the team with 15.4 points per game and leads the MAAC with 65 three-pointers made. Green has the 7^th-most three-pointers for a single season in program history.
-Middleton picked up her sixth career double-double with 9:30 left in the third quarter. She was just five points shy of her career high of 22, which she set at Niagara last year. Her 15 rebounds were just one short of a career high.
-Thomas scored in double figures for the ninth time this season. Her previous scoring high was 15.
-Monmouth held a 52-35 rebounding advantage. The 52 rebounds are the most since January 2017.
-The Hawks led for 38:45.
-Monmouth's largest lead was 28 late in the fourth quarter.
-The Hawks had a 54-10 advantage in the paint.
-Senior Erica Balman added nine points and four rebounds. With one more today, her 30 blocks remain atop the MAAC.
-Monmouth held Niagara to just 26% from the floor and 15% from three.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will play their fourth straight home game when they welcome Quinnipiac to the OceanFirst Bank Center on Friday, February 1. The Bobcats own a 27-17 all-time series lead. Earlier this season, Quinnipiac earned a 67-38 win in Connecticut.