FINAL SCORE
Monmouth 70 (4-3)
NJIT 62 (4-3)

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University women's basketball team rallied from a 13-point third quarter deficit to force overtime and defeated NJIT by a 70-62 score on Sunday afternoon. 
 
Ariana Vanderhoop paced the Hawks with a career-high 17 points while Belle Kranbuhl contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bri Tinsley was the third Hawk in double figures as she finished with 10 points. Kenna Squier and Alexandra Zuniga led NJIT with 14 points each. 
 
Trailing by three in the first period, NJIT used a 10-2 run to take a 16-11 lead with 2:36 remaining in the period. The Highlanders eventually took a 21-13 lead after 10 minutes of action. Baskets by Vanderhoop and Kranbuhl to start the second stanza pulled the Hawks to within four, 21-17. The two sides traded baskets before a layup from Lilly Anderson with 47 seconds left sent NJIT into the half with a 30-24 lead. 
 
NJIT scored the first seven points of the third quarter and led 37-24. It was the Higlanders' largest lead of the game. A Vanderhoop triple at 3:15 cut the NJIT advantage to six, 42-36. The Highlanders pushed the lead back to eight before the Hawks closed out the third quarter on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a big three-pointer from Amiya Carroll.
 
The Hawks and Highlanders traded baskets to start the fourth quarter as a three-pointer from Lovin Marsicano at 7:10 tied the game at 49-49. Neither team was able to take a lead of more than two points over the next several minutes. Vanderhoop gave the Hawks a 55-53 lead with a jumper at 1:34 but NJIT responded with a jumper of its own with 28 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
 
In extra time, Vanderhoop got the Hawks going first with a triple at 3:14. A Tinsley triple with 47 seconds left extended the Monmouth lead to 64-59. The Hawks eventually claimed the 70-62 win.

NOTES & QUOTES
"I thought we stayed in the fight, the whole 45 minutes. We lost two close games and we learned from those games and applied the lessons tonight. We got some big responses, especially from our young kids. We did a great job of second chance points and we competed at a high level to dig out of that trench tonight."
- Head Coach Ginny Boggess

- The Hawks improved to 2-0 in overtime games under head coach Ginny Boggess (St. Peter's – Feb. 7, 2022)
- Monmouth improved to 3-0 on the year when at least three players score in double figures. 
- The Hawks held a decisive 45-38 advantage in the rebounding battle in the game. 
- Monmouth made a season-high 16 shots from the foul line. Five Hawks made at least two shots from the foul line and that group was led by Lucy Thomas who made four. 
- After making just 1-of-7 chances from three-point range in the first half, the Hawks knocked down seven shots from behind the arc in the second half and overtime. 

 NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Ariana Vanderhoop scored 11 of her career-high 17 points in the second half and overtime to help spur the Monmouth comeback.  
- Belle Kranbuhl posted her first double-double of the season with the 11 points and 10 rebounds. It was her second straight double-digit rebounding game of the season and fourth double-double of her career. 
- Monmouth's 45 rebounds was the second highest rebounding total of the season for the Hawks. Eight players recorded at least one rebound in the game. In addition to Kranbuhl's 10, the Hawks also got eight from Lovin Marsicano.
- MU blocked a season-high nine shots in the game. Kranbuhl had five of those rejections, which is a season-high..  

NEXT UP
Monmouth is back in action on Thursday, Dec. 1 when it welcomes St. Francis Brooklyn to the OceanFirst Bank Center for a 7 pm tip. The game will be available on FloSports.