WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Despite rallying back to force overtime, the Monmouth women's basketball team fell, 63-60, to Sacred Heart on Thursday night at OceanFirst Bank Center.
 
The Hawks (2-3, 0-0 MAAC) trailed by as much as 13 late in the third quarter before closing out the frame on an 11-2 run to pull within four, 41-37. The Pioneers (3-2, 0-0 NEC) brought their lead back to double figures, but Monmouth countered by outscoring Sacred Heart 18-6 over the final 7:30 of regulation. The run was highlighted by a timely 3-pointer from Antonia Panayides and was capped by a pair of Jen Louro free throws to send the game into overtime.
 
In the overtime period, both sides did most of their damage at the charity stripe. However, it was the Pioneers edging out the Hawks to secure the win.
 
Louro led the Monmouth offense with 15 points with seven coming from the foul line. Kaci Donovan and Belle Kranbuhl both reached double digits in the scoring column with 10 apiece. Kranbuhl came one rebound shy of a double-double, while Donovan reeled in four.
 
Stella Clark filled up the stat sheet with nine points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Jania Hall chipped in with seven points to go along with seven rebounds and three helpers.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
"I am incredibly proud of our response tonight when we got down. We fought extremely hard and our young kids stepped up big in crucial moments. I am excited to keep battling with this team."
-Head Coach Ginny Boggess
 
-Louro's 15 points were a season-high mark.  
-Clark recorded her first-ever career double-digit rebounding performance.
-Her 17 rebounds were the most this season by any DI player shorter than 5-foot-9.  
-It was the most rebounds in a game by a Monmouth player since Alexa Middleton '20 posted 18 against Niagara on Jan. 18, 2020.
-Hall reeled in a season-best eight boards.
-Donovan made her first career start.
-Her 10 points were a career high.
-Monmouth tallied double-digit offensive rebounds for the fifth straight outing.
-The Hawks scored a season-high 60 points.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Three Hawks reached double-digit scoring in a game for the first time this season.
-Monmouth corralled 15 offensive rebounds.
-The Hawks logged 12 assists on 21 made shots.
-Fifty-three percent of Monmouth's points were scored inside the paint.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will head to Hanover, N.H., over the weekend for a 1 p.m. Sunday tip against Dartmouth.