Schools
Monmouth Women Move On To NEC Finals
Monmouth University women's basketball team defeats Robert Morris 65-62 to advance to finals against Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday
WEST LONG BRANCH - The Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated Robert Morris University, 65-62, in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament Tuesday evening at the Multipurpose Activity Center.
The Lady Hawks, seeded second, will hit the road to take on top-seeded Saint Francis (PA) University on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the NEC Tournament Final. It will be Monmouth’s first appearance in the finals since the 2003-04 season.
“I don’t think our kids fear anything," head coach Stephanie Gaitley said. "One of our things that we talk about is fear none but respect all and I think that’s what we’ve done.”
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The Colonials’ persistent frontline, piloted by an injured Yohanna Morton’s career-high 27-points, proved to be a stiff challenge for the Hawks. Monmouth trailed behind by as many as 10 points in the first half, but remained undaunted by Robert Morris' lead.
“I don’t think there’s anything that’s going to phase us anymore," Gaitley said. "We’re proud of the kids and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished all year.”
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The margin was cut down to five by Monmouth sophomore guard Carly Thibault until RMU’s 6-6 center Anna Gailite buried a two-pointer at the buzzer. The first half ended with a score of 33-26 in favor of the Colonials.
The Hawks turned the game around in the second half with a renewed offensive strength that sucked the air out of the Colonials' momentum.
“I struggled shooting in the first half, and my teammates just kept telling me ‘keep shooting, keep shooting',” junior guard Alexis Canady said.
With a tied score of 53-53, and less than five minutes remaining in the second half, Canady connected on two consecutive three-pointers increasing the Hawks' lead by six.
Sophomore Erin Rooney scored the last points of the night by sinking a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds left in the contest.
Rooney led the Hawks with 19 points and four assists while Abby Martin contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Monmouth has defeated St. Francis (PA) twice this season, but both games were close and decided by less than 10 points. Check back on Patch this weekend to see if the Hawks can win the NEC Tournament and punch their ticket to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
