Final Score
Monmouth (2-0) – 75
Lehigh (0-2) – 67
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Gigi Gamble delivered when Monmouth needed her most, burying a clutch step-back 3-pointer in the final minute to help the Hawks hold off Lehigh, 75-67, Friday night at the OceanFirst Bank Center. Monmouth improved to 2-0 on the season with its second straight victory, while the Mountain Hawks fell to 0-2.
Gamble finished with a game-high 28 points, including 14 in the third quarter, and four 3-pointers. Her biggest shot came with 30.5 seconds remaining after a
Kathy Kersaint steal, as Gamble created space with a crossover before stepping back and connecting from beyond the arc to give Monmouth a 69-65 advantage. Lehigh answered with a basket to make it a two-point game, but
Vanessa McManus converted two free throws with 18.6 seconds left to restore the four-point cushion. The Hawks went 6-for-6 at the line in the final 18 seconds to secure the victory.
"I knew I had to make that one, and if I did, I felt like that could be the game," Gamble said of her late 3-pointer. "I was all fired up, my teammates were fired up with me, and I just knew we had to get the job done."
The Hawks established their presence early behind
Divine Dibula, who scored Monmouth's first seven points and continued to find success around the basket throughout the opening half. A McManus fastbreak layup gave the Hawks a 13-11 advantage after the first quarter, and Monmouth carried that momentum into the second.
Monmouth scored eight of the first 10 points in the second quarter to stretch its lead to 21-13, prompting a Lehigh timeout with 6:25 remaining. The Mountain Hawks responded, but the Hawks found their rhythm from long range, connecting on three 3-pointers in a span of less than two minutes. Gamble knocked down two of them before Kersaint capped the stretch with a triple of her own. Kersaint added another from the corner with 1:27 remaining to make it 37-32, and Dibula converted two free throws in the closing seconds to send Monmouth into halftime ahead 39-32.
Dibula was sensational in the first half, scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting while adding four rebounds. Monmouth also held Lehigh to just one made 3-pointer on 10 attempts through the first 20 minutes.
Lehigh came out firing after halftime, connecting on three consecutive 3-pointers to pull within 42-41 and force a Monmouth timeout with 8:18 left in the third quarter. The Hawks responded immediately, with McManus hitting a 3-pointer and adding the ensuing free throw before Gamble helped fuel the surge. Monmouth held Lehigh without a field goal for more than five minutes and built its advantage to as many as 17 points at 63-46 following a Dibula fastbreak layup with 2:27 remaining. Gamble poured in 14 of Monmouth's 24 third-quarter points, going a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, as the Hawks entered the fourth ahead 63-51.
Lehigh refused to go away, however, opening the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 63-58. After a Dibula offensive rebound led to a Kersaint layup that stopped the run, the Mountain Hawks continued to chip away, eventually tying the game at 65-65 with 3:04 remaining.
Gamble ended Monmouth's scoring drought by converting the second of two free throws with 2:54 to play, putting the Hawks back in front. Lehigh had an opportunity to even the score again at the line with 1:42 remaining but missed both attempts. Kersaint then delivered another pivotal defensive play, stealing an inbound pass with 56 seconds left to set up Gamble's decisive 3-pointer.
"Lehigh is a really good team, and they're a tough guard because of their offense and because everybody can shoot," head coach
Cait Wetmore said. "I was pleased with our rebounding, because that's been something we've been talking a lot about, and then we had really good offensive contributions from quite a lot of people. I think it was the poise and knowing we could get the next one."
Dibula finished with 21 points and a game-high nine rebounds, shooting 9-for-15 from the floor. McManus added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Kersaint contributed 10 points, four assists and four steals. Monmouth held a 36-27 advantage on the glass and scored 14 fastbreak points.
More Quotes
"We talked about [Gigi's] defense being a priority this summer, and it's something she's really bought into. She's really playing on both ends of the floor, and I barely sub her, so she's putting in a lot of minutes and a lot of effort on both ends. I thought she really let the game come to her and was locked in on the scout." – Head Coach
Cait Wetmore
"I think every time we go through adversity, we ask ourselves what we're going to do about it. We have heart, and we've got the right team to do it. That's where a lot of that energy comes from. We're going to keep going, keep playing together and do whatever we have to do to get the win." – guard
Gigi Gamble
Numbers Crunch
- The game featured five lead changes and four ties.
- The Hawks led for 35:23, while the Mountain Hawks led for 2:31.
- Monmouth made 42.4% of its field goals to Lehigh's 46.2%.
- Monmouth won the rebounding battle, 36-27.
- MU outscored Lehigh, 23-17, off turnovers.
- The Hawks had more points in the paint, 36-34.
- Monmouth had more second chance points, 13-4.
- Monmouth had more fast break points, 14-6.
- Lehigh had more bench points, 13-2.
Next Up
The Hawks travel to in-state rival Rutgers on Wednesday, November 11. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game will stream live on Big Ten+.
