Iona Gaels (3-9, 2-1 MAAC) – 36
Monmouth Hawks (4-10, 1-4 MAAC) – 33
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – A reverse layup with 44 seconds left lifted Iona over the Monmouth University women's basketball team on Saturday, 36-33. For the second straight season, the Gaels' Juana Camilion hit the game-winning shot in West Long Branch.
 
Senior Rosa Graham (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) led the Hawks with 12 points, including the game-tying three-pointer with 2:03 remaining.
 
Senior Alexa Middleton (Philadelphia, PA/Abington Friends) added eight points and 12 rebounds in the loss. She is averaging 12.2 points and 11.0 rebounds in MAAC play so far.
 
Sophomore Alexa Wallace (Wheatley Heights, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) scored six points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
 
Monmouth drops to 4-10 (1-4 MAAC) on the season, and will travel to Saint Peter's on Tuesday.  
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I appreciated our grittiness, hustle, and energy in this game. I thought that was an improvement over the last couple of games. Unfortunately, we did not finish on some opportunities inside and Iona got some second chance points down the stretch. We had poor decisions and too many turnovers, but I thought we went toe-to-toe with a real gritty team. I give Iona a lot of credit. They are one of the toughest teams in the league." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-After Iona opened the game with a layup, the Hawks answered with a 6-0 run. By the end of the first quarter, Monmouth led 12-8.
-Iona scored the first points of the second quarter with 5:46 left. In the lowest scoring quarter of the season, the Gaels held a 5-2 advantage. At halftime, the Hawks maintained a 14-13 lead.
-Monmouth used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to go ahead 25-15.
-Iona ended the third on a 6-0 run, including two late three-pointers, to cut the deficit to 27-25 heading into the fourth.
-Back-to-back Iona triples to open the fourth gave it a 31-27 advantage.
-After a Middleton layup, Graham buried a corner three to tie the game at 33 with 2:03 remaining.
-Camilion connected on a reverse layup to give the Gaels the lead with 44 seconds remaining.
-The Hawks forced a turnover with 15 seconds left, but could not get a shot off on the offensive end. Iona added a late free throw to seal the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Graham scored in double-figures for the first time this season. Her 238 career assists rank t-16^th all-time.  
-Middleton ranks 8^th all-time with 755 career rebounds. She is the only Monmouth player to start all 14 games so far.
-Monmouth led for 27:56, while Iona led for 8:54.
-Iona went 14-58 (24.1%) from the floor, and Monmouth shot 11-46 (23.9%).
-From three-point range, the Gaels went 5-26 (19.2%) compared to the Hawks' 3-17 (17.6%).
-Middleton matched a career-high with four blocks.
-Iona held a 23-1 advantage in bench points.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will be back on the road Tuesday at Saint Peter's. Monmouth holds a 25-13 all-time series lead against the Peacocks, including two wins last season by 20 points and 17 points.