Rider Broncs (25-4, 18-2 MAAC) –  50
Monmouth Hawks (8-21, 5-15 MAAC) – 49
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – A tip-in layup with 0.5 seconds left sent Rider past the Monmouth University women's basketball team on Saturday, 50-49. A play earlier, senior Akilah Jennings (San Jose, CA/Presentation/UC Santa Barbara) made the go-ahead layup with less than a second left.
 
The Hawks trailed by as many as 16 in the game, and battled back behind 12 fourth quarter points from Jennings.
 
Senior Sierra Green (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis/Monroe CC) contributed a team-high 16 points, including a go-ahead triple with 1:40 remaining.
 
Senior Taylor Nason (Lorton, VA/South County) grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss, and was a team-high +10.
 
Monmouth ends the regular season with an 8-21 (5-15 MAAC) record. The No. 10 Hawks will face No. 7 Iona/Siena in the first round of the MAAC Tournament on Tuesday.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Our seniors have demonstrated years of resiliency. They've given this program everything they have had, all the way down to Senior Day and the last play of the game. We went toe-to-toe with the top team in the league. It says a ton about the character of the team. We just didn't execute what we were supposed to do, but it doesn't take away from the heart and fight our team showed tonight. These are the things we have been battling for all year, and we thought we earned it tonight. We just didn't quite finish the job." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Monmouth tied the game at 6-6 midway through the first quarter on a Green layup.
-Rider ended the first frame on a 5-0 run, including a steal and layup with time running out by Stella Johnson. At the end of one, the Broncs led 11-6.
-The Broncs used a 12-1 run in the second quarter to take a 25-9 advantage.
-Monmouth then went on a 6-0 run to get within striking distance. Two late free throws from Rider gave it a 27-15 lead at halftime.
-Jennings and Green scored the first buckets of the third quarter, as Monmouth cut the deficit to single digits.
-Green created space and hit a step-back triple with 5:07 left, getting Monmouth within seven.
-Monmouth eventually outscored Rider 14-11 in the third, but the Broncs still held a 38-29 lead heading into the fourth.
-Jennings dropped 10 straight points in the fourth quarter, and the Hawks trailed by just four with 4:51 left.
-After an Alexa Middleton layup, Green drained a deep triple on the next possession. Monmouth trailed 48-47 with 1:40 left.
-The Hawks came up with a huge defensive stop and got the ball back with 19.1 seconds left, down one.
-With less than a second remaining, Jennings took a feed from senior Rosa Graham and made a layup in traffic to give Monmouth a 49-48 lead.
-After review, the officials put 0.5 seconds left on the clock. Rider tossed the inbounds across the court, where Amari Johnson tipped it in for the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Heading into the MAAC Tournament, Monmouth's six seniors have combined for 428 games, 2,889 points, 2,077 rebounds, 611 assists, and 450 steals in their careers.
-Jennings scored in double-figures for the 12^th time this season. She scored 12 of her 14 points in a span of 6:52 in the fourth.
-With two more tonight, Green ranks fourth in program history with 163 made triples. She needs four more to move into third.
-Middleton added six points and seven rebounds. She has 883 points and 883 rebounds through 122 career games.  
-Graham (267) needs four more to move into 10^th all-time.
-Monmouth outscored Rider 20-12 in the final frame.
 
UP NEXT
As the No. 10 seed, the Hawks will face No. 7 Iona/Siena in the first round of the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday. Tip from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ is set for 11:30 AM.