Falling victim to a 10-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter, Women’s Basketball was defeated by Canisius 65-56 on Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, NY, slipping to 12-15 on the season and 8-8 in conference play.
Monmouth put three players in double figures, as junior guard Sierra Green led the way with 15 points, including four three-point shots, while freshman forward Lucy Thomas scored 12 points. Junior forward Alexa Middleton added seven points while corralling ten rebounds.
The Hawks opened the scoring on the afternoon, but the Golden Griffins responded with ten-straight points to take a 10-2 lead. Green hit a three later on in the frame to cut the Canisius lead to 12-7 with 4:38 remaining in the first. Canisius scored the next four points to take their largest lead of the game at 16-7, but Monmouth closed the first quarter on a 10-0 scoring run to make it 17-16 after ten minutes.
In a game of many scoring runs, the Golden Griffins opened with a 7-0 sprint to begin the second quarter, but Monmouth battled back with two-straight baskets from junior guard Rosa Graham. The two teams played each other close for the remainder of the half, as the hosts took a 32-29 lead into the halftime break.
The two teams continued to trade baskets early on in the second half, but a Thomas three brought Monmouth to within two points, 41-39, with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Hawks would only score two points the rest of the frame, as Canisius scored seven of the last nine points of the third to take a 48-41 lead after 30 minutes.
Monmouth scored five straight to start the fourth quarter, including a Green three, to make the score 48-46 with 8:46 remaining. Canisius responded with a 10-0 scoring run to open the game up, making the Monmouth deficit 12 with 4:11 left. Green connected on another three, but Canisius sealed the game on free throws.
“We did not have the effort or focus it takes today to put back-to-back road wins together,” said Head Coach Jody Craig. “We missed an opportunity here and we have no one to look at but ourselves.”
Monmouth shot 17-60 (28 percent) from the field and 7-32 (22 percent) from three. They were 15-20 (75 percent) from the free throw line. The Hawks outscored the Golden Griffins’ bench 17-9 in the contest. They also turned the ball over just ten times, which was a season-low.
Green’s four three-point shots put her at 90 for the season, sitting three behind Kayla Shaw’s single-season record of 93, which was set in the 2016-17 season. Thomas’s 12 points put her in double figures for the 13th time in her freshman campaign, and Middleton grabbed double-digit rebounds for the ninth time this season.
The loss came after the Hawks won back-to-back games over the course of the week. Tuesday night, Monmouth defeated Saint Peter’s 70-50 at the OceanFirst Bank Center. Senior guard McKinzee Barker led the Hawks with 16 points, while Middleton had 12 points and 17 rebounds. Friday night, Monmouth topped Niagara 88-81 in Lewiston, NY. Thomas scored a season-high 20 points in the victory.
The Hawks will return home on Thursday for their final home game of the season. Tip-off for Senior Night is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with the game being broadcasted on ESPN+.
PHOTO TAKEN by Karlee Sell
