MONMOUTH, IL – Monmouth hit nearly 70 percent of their shots in the first quarter, posting a program-record 32 points on their way to a 98-74 win Wednesday night at Iowa Wesleyan.
The Scots took a 32-14 lead, going 15-for-22 from the field in the first 10 minutes and never looked back, rolling off 17 unanswered points in the final five minutes of the opening frame as seven different Scots scored.
The Tigers climbed back in the second period, cutting Monmouth’s lead to four at 36-32 with 3:36 left in the half before Kaitlyn Osmulski sparked the pushback with a pair of free throws for a 38-32 lead. Shayne Smith – who came off the bench to lead the Scots with 18 points – then scored nine of the Scots’ next 10 points to give Monmouth a 49-39 lead at the break.
A pair of Zoie Wall free throws in the third quarter stretched the lead to 25 at 77-52 as Monmouth maintained a lead of 20 or more most of the rest of the way.
Four Scots joined Smith in double figures as Josie Morgan added 17 points, Carley Turnbull 16, and Jordan Kintigh and Becca Gallis chipped in with 14 each. Gallis narrowly missed becoming the 10th woman in Fighting Scots’ history to notch 1,000 points, finishing the night with 999 career points three games into her senior season.
Monmouth continues their four-game road trip next Tuesday with a visit to Blackburn.
