FINAL SCORE
No. 7 Monmouth 73 (17-15)
No. 3 Northeastern 60 (19-12)

TOWSON, MD – A strong second half surge powered the No. 7 Monmouth University women's basketball team to a 73-60 win over No. 3 Northeastern University in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals on Saturday night. Winners of four straight games, the Hawks have advanced to the CAA Championship game where they will meet No. 1 Towson on Sunday afternoon.
 
Monmouth had four players score in double figures in the contest. Kaci Donovan and Bri Tinsley had 14 points and three rebounds each while Lovin Marsicano added 13 points and Belle Kranbuhl had 12. Deja Bristol led Northeastern with 15 points and nine rebounds. 
 
The Hawks continued a trend of getting off to a hot start in the game as Marsicano's triple at 5:51 put Monmouth on top 12-2. Northeastern countered with an 8-0 run and pulled to within two, 12-10 with 2:52 left on the clock. Monmouth scored four of the final six points and took a 16-12 lead after one. 
 
Northeastern opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run and took a 24-18 lead with 4:24 to go until the half. The two teams traded points over the final four minutes of the quarter. A pair of late free throws from Bristol sent the Huskies into the break with a 30-26 lead. 
 
Northeastern hit the first bucket of the third quarter but Monmouth responded in a big way. The Hawks used a 9-0 run to turn a six-point deficit into a three-point advantage. Marsicano had two buckets in that stretch.  The Huskies scored six of the next nine points and tied the game at 38-38 with 4:19 left on the clock. The Hawks closed the third on a 10-0 run and snagged a 48-38 lead. Ariana Vanderhoop had six points in that stretch. 
 
The Hawks and Huskies went back-and-forth to start the fourth quarter as Jania Hall's triple at 5:52 pushed the Monmouth advantage to 61-47. Kranbuhl had four points in that stretch. Northeastern quickly cut the lead to seven but Monmouth rattled off an 11-2 run and took a 72-57 lead with 19 seconds to play. Tinsley had seven points in that stretch. Jen Louro made 1-of-2 from the line with 12 seconds left to close out the 73-60 win. 

NOTES & QUOTES
"We dug deep on our culture and we did a good job on the shot in the second half tonight. I told the team at the half to stay in their rhythm. Down the stretch we got the stops when we needed to. It's all about our kids and their families. I'm proud of our staff for the work they did to get us ready and our kids for executing."
- Head Coach Ginny Boggess

- Monmouth ran its win streak to four straight games. 
- The Hawks advanced to the conference championship in their first year in the CAA.
- MU will play in a conference championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season on Sunday.
- The Hawks hit 10 three-pointers in the game including seven in the second half. The Hawks improved to 5-3 on the year when they make 10 or more three-pointers in a game. 
- Monmouth won the rebounding battle, 40-34. It was the 23rd time this season they have won the rebounding battle and the 10th time the Hawks have grabbed 40 or more rebounds in a game. 
- It is the first time since the 2011 season that a seven seed has advanced to the CAA Championship game. 
- Monmouth turned 13 offensive rebounds in 18 second chance points. 

 NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Bri Tinsley's first bucket of the day gave her 1,000 points for her career. Tinsley has scored 380 of those points as a Hawk.
- Belle Kranbuhl had three blocks for the Hawks. She now has 56 blocks on the year and 152 for her career. 
- Kaci Donovan tied for the team lead with 14 points and led the team with four triples made. She has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. 
- Kranbuhl led the Hawks on the boards with eight. 
- Tinsley has scored in double figures in three straight games and four of the last five after finishing with 14 points and a team-high five assists.  

NEXT UP
Monmouth is back on the court on Sunday, Mar. 12 for the CAA Championship. The Hawks will face top seeded Towson at 2 p.m. in a game that will air on CBS Sports Network. To get tickets for the CAA Championship game, click here.