The Monmouth University women’s basketball team fell to Fairfield, 61-54, at the OceanFirst Bank Center, on Jan. 24.
Fairfield’s wave of momentum in the fourth-quarter was powerful enough to completely overcome the Hawks in the school’s 22nd match against one another.. With 6:22 left to play, Monmouth (9-6, 4-2 MAAC) led by two. The Stags (11-6, 8-1 MAAC) made five of their last six shots from the field. This was part of a 15-6 run which secured their win on the road.
As for individual statistics, three Hawks finished the game with double-digit points. Sophomore guard Kaci Donovan led with a team-high 15 and knocked down three treys. She also went 6-of-13 from the floor. Fairfield was Donovan’s sixth double-digit scoring performance of the year.
Senior forward Lucy Thomas had her absolute best outing of the season. The six foot Ocean native shot 7-of-9 from the field for 14 points pairing with six boards. This game made for her first time scoring double digits this season.
The third Hawk was sophomore guard Ariana Vanderhoop who finished the night game with 10 in the scoring column. This was the Boston native’s fourth time this season scoring double digits. Adding on to these performances was Sophomore center Belle Kranbuhl who tallied eight with four rebounds. This was Kranbuhl’s seventh straight game recording a block.
In this game, Fairfield was Monmouth’s 11th opponent of the season whom they held to under 30-percent shooting from deep. Also on a higher note, this game was the seventh outing of the year that an opponent of the Hawks was limited to three or fewer 3-point makes in one game.
Besides the fact that Fairfield won the game in the fourth quarter, the Hawks outrebounded them 36-32 and scored 56 percent of its points from inside the paint.
This loss comes soon after the Hawks’ grand victory over Canisius where they won 60-48 on Jan. 22.
Looking ahead, Monmouth will face Rider in a MAAC game when they close out the homestand on THursday at 7 p.m at the OceanFirst Bank Center.
