Dec. 30, 2011
Box Score
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Villanova Wildcats saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 49-48 loss to the Monmouth Hawks in the championship game of the Hawk Holiday Classic. With the loss, Villanova falls to 10-3 on the season.
Villanova controlled the first nine minutes of the game, as the Wildcats held a 9-4 lead at the 11:24 mark. Junior forward Laura Sweeney got the `Cats going early as she scored the team's first six points of the contest.
Monmouth dictated play over the last 11 minutes of the half. The Hawks outscored the Wildcats by a 16-6 margin to take a 27-20 halftime advantage. Monmouth center Abby Martin led all scorers in the first stanza with seven points.
Poor shooting doomed the Wildcats in the first half. Villanova was just 7-of-27 from the field (25.9%) and 2-of-13 from three-point range (15.4%), while the Hawks shot 44.0 percent (11-of-25) in the first 20 minutes. Monmouth dominated the backboards with a 22-12 margin.
Monmouth came out of the locker room and had the upper hand early, as the Hawks opened up a 32-21 advantage. The Hawks would control the game until the eight minute mark. Trailing 40-32, the Wildcats used a 10-3 run to cut the Monmouth lead to 43-42 at the 4:09 mark. Back-to-back three-point field goals by junior guard Rachel Roberts and junior Megan Pearson highlighted the run.
The Hawks would answer the Villanova charge and score the game's next six points to open up a 49-42 advantage with 1:53 to play. Martin scored all six points for the Hawks.
Trailing by seven with 1:37 remaining, Villanova had one last run left. Two free throws by Sweeney sliced the lead to 49-44. After a defensive stop, Wildcat sophomore guard Devon Kane was fouled going for the defensive carom. Kane converted both foul shots to make the score 49-46 with 50 seconds left.
On Monmouth's next possession, Pearson stepped in the passing lane for a steal and would feed senior Lindsay Kimmel for a left-handed lay-up. Kimmel's bucket made the score 49-48 with 26 seconds left. After Monmouth's Alexis Canady missed the front end of a one-and-one, Villanova called timeout with 20 seconds on the clock. The Wildcats ran a sideline inbounds play to perfection, but Pearson's three-pointer went in and out.
Villanova had one last chance to steal the victory. Hawk forward Betsy Gadziala missed the front end of a one-and-one with seven seconds remaining. Roberts raced the ball up the court for the Wildcats and took an off balance shot that was off the mark. Sweeney had a tip-in at the buzzer that fell short.
Sweeney led the Wildcats with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and an 8-of-13 effort from the free throw line. She also pulled-down a game-high nine rebounds to go with three steals, three blocks and two assists. Pearson added 12 points. For her efforts, Sweeney earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Monmouth was paced by Martin who finished with 14 points, while Chevannah Paalvast added 10 points.
For the game, Villanova shot just 28.6 percent from the field (16-of-56), 14.8 percent from behind the arc (4-of-27) and 63.2 percent from the foul line (12-of-19), while the Hawks were 20-of-54 from the floor (37.0%), 3-of-12 from three-point range (25.0%) and 6-of-12 from the charity stripe (50.0%). Monmouth owned a 43-38 advantage on the backboards.
Villanova returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 3 when they play host to the Pittsburgh Panthers at The Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
NOTES: The Wildcats are now 10-2 all-time versus Monmouth...Villanova finishes the month of December with a 5-1 mark...The Wildcats fall to 6-2 on the road this season...Villanova had an assist on 31 of its 37 field goals in the tournament...Megan Pearson finished the two-day tournament with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 assists and no turnovers.
