Iona Gaels (6-8, 5-6 MAAC) – 65
Monmouth Hawks (2-15, 2-11 MAAC) - 51
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – In the last game of the 2020-21 regular season, Iona defeated the Monmouth University women's basketball team, 65-51.
 
The Gaels used a strong showing in the first and fourth quarters to earn the victory, outscoring the Hawks 37-17 in that span.
 
Redshirt junior Jen Louro (Wall, NJ/St. Rose/UMass Lowell) went into double-figures for the third consecutive game, ending with 14 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from long range.
 
Freshman Gabrielle Wener (Oakland, ME/Messalonskee) added 12 points in the loss, also drilling three from beyond the arc.
 
Freshman Ariana Vanderhoop (Boston, MA/Cathedral) registered nine points, three rebounds, and three assists in the contest, while freshman Belle Kranbuhl (Boonville, NY/Adirondack Central) added eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.  
 
Monmouth ends the regular season with a 2-15 (2-11 MAAC) record, and will face No. 7 Rider in the first round of the MAAC Championships on Tuesday.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I loved our effort for three quarters. Turnovers and some crucial mistakes on both ends made the difference. All the credit to Iona, who closed the game out with poise. We will have to regroup for Tuesday." - Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Iona opened with a 9-2 lead, but Monmouth answered with a Wener triple and a Louro jumper to cut the deficit to two.
-The Gaels slowly rebuilt their lead over the course of the first quarter, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Heading into the second, Iona led 18-9.
-The Hawks held Iona without a point over a span of 6:06 and registered an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter.
-Monmouth took its first lead of the game early in the third after a Haralson layup and a Louro triple. Iona later hit back-to-back three-pointers to regain a 36-31 advantage.
-The Gaels hit another buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter, this time with a putback layup. Each team scored 20 points in the frame, and Iona took a 46-43 lead into the fourth.
-Louro buried her third triple of the game early in the fourth, getting Monmouth within four. Iona's Olivia Vezaldenos answered with back-to-back treys to put Iona back in front by 10.
-The road team ended the game with a 6-0 run, sealing the 14-point win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Louro ends the regular season with 46 points over the last three games (15.3 average). She leads the team with 9.2 points per game.
-Wener went into double-figures for the third time this season. She ranks second on the team with 19 three-pointers.
-Iona scored 25 points off of 17 Monmouth turnovers.
-Senior Fatou Ndao earned her first career start on Senior Day.
-Monmouth shot 44% (18-41) from the floor and 43% (6-14) from three-point range.
-Iona held a 32-18 advantage in the paint.
 
UP NEXT
No. 10 seed Monmouth will face No. 7 seed Rider in the first round of the MAAC Championships. Tip from Atlantic City, NJ is set for 2:30 PM on Tuesday.