Monmouth Hawks (8-13, 4-6 MAAC) - 50
Rider Broncs (12-9, 8-2 MAAC) – 65
 
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ  – Using 31 points off turnovers and four players in double figures, Rider defeated the Monmouth University women's basketball team on Thursday night, 65-50. The Hawks turned the ball over 25 times and shot just 15-51 (29.4%) from the floor, while Rider's Stella Johnson, Lexi Posset, Amari Johnson, and Lea Favre scored all of the team's points. Junior Alexa Middleton registered her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, and junior Emani Clough added 11 points, including 5-7 from the free throw line. The Blue & White drop to 8-13 (4-6 MAAC) on the season, and will travel to Siena on Saturday for a 2:00 PM contest.  
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"If we had played with the effort we did in the fourth quarter in the first half, I think it's a more competitive game. We made too many errors on both ends of the floor, and you can't make that many mistakes against a good team like Rider." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-The Broncs scored the first eight points of the game, and Monmouth did not score until 3:10 remained in the first quarter. Clough got the Hawks on the board first with two free throws.
-The Hawks scored the next six points to get right back in it. By the end of the first quarter, Rider led 10-6.
-Monmouth found itself down 19-10 midway through the second, but freshman Lucy Thomas buried a three-pointer and junior Rosa Graham added four more points to cut the deficit to two.
-Rider ended the second on a 9-3 run, eventually taking a 28-20 lead into halftime. The Broncs scored 18 points off turnovers in the first half.
-Rider shot 7-15 (47%) in the third quarter, while holding Monmouth to 3-12 (25%). Heading into the fourth, the Broncs led 44-32.
-With back-to-back triples to open the fourth, Rider took an 18-point advantage.
-Monmouth went on a 7-0 run in the final frame, including five from junior Rosa Graham to cut the deficit to 11.
-Rider was able to hang on in the final minutes, eventually taking the 15-point win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth used the same starting five for the fifth straight game (Graham, Green, Wallace, Thomas, Middleton). The Hawks are 3-2 in those games.
-Middleton's double-double was the seventh of her career.
-Junior Taylor Nason grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.
-Freshman Allure Simmons notched a season-high nine points and four steals.
-Clough scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
-Monmouth started the game 0-11 from the floor.
-The Hawks went just 2-11 from long range, and 18-34 from the line.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will play their third straight away game at Siena on Saturday. The Saints hold a slight 11-9 all-time series lead, including a 77-68 win in West Long Branch earlier this season.