FINAL SCORE
Monmouth (9-9, 4-3 CAA) – 54
North Carolina A&T (10-8, 6-1 CAA) – 49
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Monmouth University Women's Basketball Team secured a gritty 54-49 victory over the CAA's top team, North Carolina A&T, on Friday night at the OceanFirst Bank Center by a final score of 54-49.
 
Senior guard Damaris Rodriguez led Monmouth with a game-high 18 points, adding three assists and three rebounds to guide the offense. Senior forward Belle Kranbuhl dominated the paint grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring six points, while contributing three blocks to anchor the Hawks' defense.
 
Monmouth jumped out to an early lead, outscoring the Aggies 17-10 in the first quarter and extending their advantage to 31-19 at halftime where the Hawks concluded the first half on a 10-0 run. The Hawks' defensive intensity was evident, as they limited North Carolina A&T to just 23.5% shooting from the field in the first half.
 
North Carolina A&T made a push in the second half, cutting Monmouth's lead to as few as three points in the final minutes. Despite their efforts, Monmouth's defensive presence proved too much. The Hawks recorded five blocks, including a critical rejection by Taisha Exanor in the closing seconds to preserve the win.
 
Kemari Reynolds provided key contributions off the bench for Monmouth, scoring 13 points and hitting crucial free throws down the stretch to seal the game. Ella Farrelly also chipped in with six points and six rebounds, all while playing a full 40 minutes.
 
NOTES & QUOTE
"I am incredibly proud of our team. A&T is a really good team. The thing we have been talking about is learning from our losses. We never want to lose two in a row. But it's about the lessons we learn from those losses and applying them in games like this." – Head Coach Cait Wetmore
 
"We knew we were the underdog coming in, but we fought for all 40 minutes. We knew we were going to have to play almost a perfect game, and we did just that. We still did make some mistakes, but overall, we played an amazing team game." – Damaris Rodriguez
 
- It's the first loss of the CAA season for first-place North Carolina A&T.
- The Hawks outscored the Aggies' bench, 17-0 – marking the first time this season MU has shutout an opposing bench unit.
- Belle Kranbuhl hauled in double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season.
- Ella Farrelly played all 40 minutes for the second time this season.
- Each team blocked five shots. Monmouth's average coming in was 4.9 which is tops in the conference and 21^st in the NCAA.
- Kranbuhl tallied three blocks – her most in a CAA contest this season.
- Monmouth improves to 4-3 in CAA contests and 6-3 at home.
- The all-time series is tied, 2-2.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
- The game featured two lead changes and two ties.
- Monmouth made 42.9% of its field goals to N.C. A&T's 30.6%.
- The rebounding battle was tied, 37-37.
- Monmouth outscored A&T, 13-11, off turnovers.
- Monmouth had more points in the paint, 30-18.
- The Aggies had more second chance points, 7-2.
- MU had more fastbreak points, 16-7.
- MU had more bench points, 17-0.
- Monmouth lost the turnover battle, 17-15.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks remain home for Play4Kay Day versus Northeastern on Sunday, Jan. 26. The game will be broadcast live on FloCollege and SNY at 2 p.m.