FINAL SCORE
Monmouth 79 (1-1)
NJCU 70 (0-1)

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University women's basketball team used a 19-2 fourth-quarter run to pull away from visiting New Jersey City University in an eventual nine-point victory on Thursday evening at OceanFirst Bank Center.

Monmouth held off a feisty NJCU team that drew within a point early in the fourth quarter before the big run put the game out of reach. Holding a 53-52 advantage after Damaris Rodriguez made a pullup jumper for the visitors, Monmouth scored 19 of the next 21 points to take an 18-point lead with four minutes remaining and left with a 79-70 triumph for its first win of the 2022 season.

Rodriguez scored a game-high 33 points for NJCU, while Lucy Thomas paved the way for Monmouth with a double-double that included a new career-high of 23 points and a career-best tying 13 rebounds. Thomas was one of four Hawks to score in double figures, including 15 apiece from Anaya Coleman and Bri Tinsley, and 10 from Kaci Donovan.

NOTES & QUOTES
"We talk every day about toughness and resiliency, those two things were the difference down the stretch. We did an incredible job on the boards and shared the basketball extremely well. There is a lot to build on and be excited about with this squad."
- Head Coach Ginny Boggess

- The game was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
- Monmouth held a 26-12 lead after the first quarter, but the two sides went into halftime tied at 34.
- Monmouth won its home opener for the second consecutive season.
- The Hawks have won back-to-back home openers for the first time since 2003 and 2004.
- Eight different Hawks scored in the victory.
- Anaya Coleman made her first-career start for Monmouth.

 NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Lucy Thomas set a new career-high with 23 points and tied her previous high of 13 rebounds to lead Monmouth in both categories. Thomas also collected two steals in the win.
- Bri Tinsley and Anaya Coleman each had 15 points and four assists in the game to set season highs.
- Coleman also pulled down five rebounds and added a steal.
- Tinsley led Monmouth with 37 minutes played.
- Kaci Donovan scored in double digits for the second straight game with 10 points. Donovan added seven rebounds and had a pair of steals.
- Lovin Marsicano was a team-best plus-14 in 23 minutes.
- Monmouth scored 44 points in the paint and had 18 fastbreak points.
- The Hawks outrebounded NJCU 51-42 and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds.

NEXT UP
Monmouth returns to the road on Sunday, November 13 when it travels to Fairfield, CT to challenge Sacred Heart in the first contest of a four-game road swing. Opening tip is set for 4:00 p.m.