The Monmouth College women’s basketball team dropped the home conference opener to Beloit on Saturday with a 54-42 loss.
Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) made a free throw for Monmouth’s first point and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) gave the Scots a 3-2 lead with the first field goal. Olivia Dinges (Amboy, Illinois) scored for a 5-4 lead and again for a 7-5 Monmouth lead. Beloit scored the next 10 points before Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) made a 3-pointer to end the first quarter.
Beloit started the second quarter with a 15-10 lead and scored the first four points. Mitchell and Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) scored on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to six. Beloit pushed the lead to 26-15 before baskets from Kiersten Cox (Illinois City, Illinois) and Kynlee Stearns (Gilson, Illinois) ended the half at 26-19.
Mitchell made two free throws early in the third and added a field goal to cut the lead to 26-23. Beloit scored the next seven to go back up by 10. Hoy and Rangel made free throws but Beloit answered to lead 39-29. Rangel hit a 3-pointer but Beloit led 43-32 heading into the fourth.
Monmouth started the fourth quarter with a 6-2 run but Beloit scored the next nine to go on top 54-38. Stearns scored with 1:45 left and converted a free throw for a 3-point play. The Scots added a free throw late but Beloit held on for the 54-42 win.
Rangel led the Scots with eight points off the bench while Mitchell had seven and Dinges added six. Cox and Danielle Beach (Geneseo, Illinois) had seven rebounds each while Goodrich had six.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Mitchell had four steals. Cox had two blocks. Goodrich has at least five rebounds in six straight games. Monmouth and Beloit split last season with the home team winning both games. The Scots are 8-2 in the last 10 against the Bucs and 37-24 all-time, The Scots are home against on Wednesday against Illinois, following the men’s 5:30 p.m. game between the same two schools.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
