Saint Peter's Peacocks (6-15, 3-9 MAAC) – 57
Monmouth Hawks (6-16, 3-10 MAAC) – 59
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Two free throws by sophomore Lucy Thomas (Ocean, NJ/St. Rose) in the final 30 seconds propelled the Monmouth University women's basketball team over Saint Peter's on Saturday, 59-57.
 
Thomas ended with 18 points (8-12 FG) and 11 rebounds, registering her fifth double-double of the season.
 
Monmouth shot 22-49 (44.9%) from the floor, and came up with three straight stops on the defensive end to seal the win.
 
Senior Sierra Green (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis/Monroe CC) added 13 points, including three triples and a go-ahead layup with 1:09 left.
 
Monmouth improves to 6-16 (3-10 MAAC) on the season, and will travel to Iona on Tuesday.    
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Right now, our highest shooting percentage is in the paint, so we have to play the odds and take advantage of matchups. We calmed down, took better care of the ball, and were poised down the stretch. I would've liked to see us make some more free throws to make it easier on ourselves, but outside of that it was a good finish. Defense is something we really focus on, and I was proud that we came through late in a couple situations. We need to continue to rely on that." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Monmouth went up 10-4 midway through the first quarter, but Saint Peter's quickly took the lead with a three-pointer and a four-point play.
-By the end of the first, Saint Peter's secured a slight 15-14 lead.
-After trailing by four, Jennings buried a triple and Wallace converted a three-point play to give Monmouth the lead.
-The Hawks led by as many as four in the second, but a late three-pointer from the Peacocks made it a 27-26 game at halftime.
-Monmouth went up five with back-to-back buckets in the third quarter, but Saint Peter's answered by hitting a three, stealing the inbounds pass, and laying it up to knot the game at 31.
-The SPU run eventually got up to 12-0 after two three-pointers and a free throw. Monmouth answered with a Thomas layup and back-to-back triples from Green.
-Middleton registered a three-point play to close the third quarter, putting Monmouth up 43-42 heading into the fourth.
-Monmouth led by as many as eight in the final quarter after a 6-0 run. Saint Peter's began to battle back, tying the game with 1:23 left.
-Green battled through traffic and made a layup with 1:09 remaining, and the Peacocks answered with a layup to knot the game again.
-Thomas made two free throws, one with 28 seconds left and one with 12 seconds left, to put Monmouth up 59-57.
-Saint Peter's launched a three-pointer with a second remaining, but it hit the front of the rim.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Thomas scored in double figures for the seventh time in the last eight games. She is averaging 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in MAAC play.
-Green's 148 triples over the last two seasons rank 7^th in program history.
-The Hawks scored 13+ points in all four quarters.
-Senior Akilah Jennings totaled nine points and six rebounds in the win.
-Senior Alexa Middleton ranks 2^nd all-time with 825 career rebounds. Only Linda Wilson (1983-87) has more with 1,360. In 13 MAAC games, Middleton is averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.
-Senior Rosa Graham led the team with four assists, and is up to 255 for her career, which ranks 14^th all-time.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will head to Iona on Tuesday at 7 PM. The Gaels hold a slight 11-9 all-time series lead, including a 36-33 win in West Long Branch earlier this season.