The Monmouth College women’s basketball team took the lead late in the first quarter and never looked back in a 54-49 Senior Day win over Grinnell College on Saturday. The Fighting Scots (10-12, 6-7) broke the deadlock in the standings with the Pioneers and now sit in fifth place with three games to play.
The teams traded points early with Ashley Jones (Abingdon, Illinois) tying the game at 2-2 and Zoie Wall (Bartonville, Illinois) tying the game 4-4. Grinnell led 7-4 but the Scots scored the next eight points and never trailed again. Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) had seven points in that 8-0 run and Monmouth led 12-9 after the first quarter.
Audrey Law (Bloomington, Indiana) started the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Harlan scored five straight points for a 19-11 lead. Jones pushed the lead to double digits before Grinnell cut it back to four. Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) scored four straight points and the Scots took a 25-19 lead to the locker room.
Warner and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) scored back-to-back baskets early in the third for a 29-19 lead. Harlan pushed the lead to 12 and the teams traded baskets for a 5-0 Pioneers run. Wall’s three-point play took the lead to 43-33 but Grinnell hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter.
Warner started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer but Grinnell went on a run to cut the lead to 47-44 with 4:06 to play. Goodrich stopped the run with a basket in the lane and Harlan hit a jumper for a 51-46 lead. After a Grinnell 3-pointer, Jones put the Scots up 53-49 with 1:25 to play and the visitors turned the ball over. Neither team scored for the next minute as Harlan blocked a shot and then the Pioneers had to foul to get into the bonus. When they did, Wall scored with three seconds left for a 54-49 lead and the Pioneers missed their final shot.
Harlan led the Scots with 21 points while Warner had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double. Wall had seven points, four rebounds and six assists. Jones finished with six points and Goodrich had five.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Monmouth honored Wall, Warner, Harlan, injured guard Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) and team manager Emily Laughlin (Milan, Illinois) in a pregame senior ceremony…The teams split the season series with the home team winning both games…Last year the Scots won both and they 4-1 in the last five and 6-4 in the last ten against the Pioneers…Harlan has gone for 10 points or more in nine of the last 10 games…Warner had her third double-double in the last two weeks…Monmouth was 6-for-9 at the free throw line….The Scots had just five turnovers in the game while forcing 19…Monmouth outscored Grinnell in the paint 24-14…The Scots will host Knox College at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the final home game of the season.
***Recap and photo courtesy of Monmouth College***
