Lady Hawks Move On To NEC Semifinals

WEST LONG BRANCH - The Monmouth University women's basketball team defeated Quinnipiac University, 55-36, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Activity Center. 

The Lady Hawks now face fourth-seeded Robert Morris in the semifinals on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the MAC.

A tight score jumped back and forth between the teams throughout the first half.  Sophomore guard Gabby Singer buried a 3-pointer with 6:05 remaining, giving the Hawks an 11-10 lead.  Quinnipiac freshman forward Brittany McQuain made a jumper, putting the Bobcats back into the lead. However, Monmouth finished the first half with an amazing 3-point shot from Singer with two seconds left, giving the team 20-18 lead. 

“I think that took a lot of air out of us.” Quinnipiac’s head coach Tricia Fabbri said.  "The team seemed to rally around Singer’s 3-pointer throughout the rest of regulation play, as the team cruised to its largest postseason margin of victory since 1994.

The second half was led by sophomore forward Abby Martin, who scored a career-high 25 points, with 11 rebounds.  Sophomore guard Erin Rooney contributed eight points, six assists, and four rebounds.  Sophomore guard Alysha Womack scored seven points with six rebounds.

“We were trying to play hard, play focused and play smart.” Martin said. 

Monmouth head coach Stephanie Gaitley said her team came into Saturday's game with great focus.

“To be honest we don’t focus too much on those things," Gaitley said. "That is a result of your play so we focus on the task at hand, one game at a time, one day at a time.”

Gaitley said she is excited for her team to take the next step in the NEC Tournament and come away as conference champions.

“Last year they were happy to be there, this year they have a mission.” Gaitley said.