Monmouth Hawks (7-16, 4-10 MAAC) – 56
Iona Gaels (6-15, 5-7 MAAC) – 50
 
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – After falling behind by five with 1:50 left, the Monmouth University women's basketball team ended the game on an 11-0 run to defeat Iona, 56-50.
 
Monmouth shot a season-best 53.7% (22-41) from the floor, and outscored the Gaels 38-22 in the paint.
 
Senior Adriana Zelaya (Goodyear, AZ/Millennium) led the team with a career-high 14 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Zelaya also matched a career high with six rebounds.
 
Senior Alexa Middleton (Philadelphia, PA/Abington Friends) added 13 points and eight rebounds in the win, going 5-of-6 from the floor.
 
Sophomore Lucy Thomas (Ocean, NJ/St. Rose) scored in double-figures for the eighth time in the last nine games, registering 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds.
 
Monmouth improves to 7-16 (4-10 MAAC) on the season, and will host Fairfield on Thursday.     
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Our poise proved to be the difference, being able to have back-to-back scores and close it out with free throws. It was just a tremendous job by our team tonight. This is a tough place to play, and it was a gutsy win. We knew we were in for a fight. We maintained our composure, didn't turn the ball over, created some great shots, and stepped up on the defensive end." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Monmouth held Iona without a point until 5:06 remained in the first quarter.
-With time running out in the opening period, Thomas followed her missed shot and made a layup while getting fouled. The Hawks led 8-4 after one.
-Iona opened the second quarter on an 8-1 run to go ahead 12-9. Monmouth quickly regained the lead after six straight points from Zelaya.  
-After two made free throws from Middleton, Iona banked in a buzzer-beating three from the corner. At halftime, the Hawks led 25-23.
-A 6-0 run in the third quarter, both three-pointers, put Iona ahead 31-29.
-Each team scored 11 points in the third quarter, sending Monmouth into the fourth with a slight 36-34 advantage.
-The Gaels registered a 6-0 run midway through the fourth to claim a 42-40 lead. Senior Sierra Green answered with a deep triple to put the Hawks back in front.
-Iona registered an 8-2 run, including two three-pointers, to go ahead 50-45 with 1:47 left. Middleton put up back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to one with 34.5 seconds remaining.
-With 24 seconds left, Thomas fought through three defenders and made a layup to put the Hawks up 51-50.
-After Monmouth forced an Iona turnover, Zelaya sunk two free throws to extend the lead to three with 20 seconds left.
-The Hawks sealed the win after two more free throws from senior Akilah Jennings.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Zelaya set a new career high in her 91^st game. Her previous career high was 10 points against Quinnipiac last season. Her 14 points came in 21 minutes played.
-Thomas is averaging 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in MAAC play.
-Senior Alexa Middleton ranks 2^nd all-time with 833 career rebounds. Only Linda Wilson (1983-87) has more with 1,360. In 14 MAAC games, Middleton is averaging 11.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.
-Green's 149 triples over the last two seasons rank 7^th in program history.
-Monmouth shot 11-20 (55%) in the first half and outrebounded the Gaels 20-7.
 -The frontcourt of Zelaya, Middleton, and Thomas combined for 39 points on 16-25 (64%) from the floor. The trio also grabbed 18 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will return home to face Fairfield on Thursday. The Stags hold an 11-7 all-time series lead, including a 49-38 win in Connecticut earlier this season.