The Monmouth College women’s basketball team tied a season-high with 74 points but ultimately fell to Grinnell 82-74 on Wednesday night. The Scots put four players in double figures as Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) tied her career high with 18 and Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) set a new career high with 14 points.
Ashley Jones (Abingdon, Illinois) scored the first seven points of the game as the Scots led 7-0 inside the first three minutes. Mitchell hit a 3-pointer for a 10-3 lead and another one for a 13-5 lead. Grinnell took the lead with a 10-0 run before Rangel hit a 3-pointer and added a basket for an 18-15 lead. Jones scored at the end of the quarter to put the Scots up 20-18.
Mitchell and Danielle Beach (Geneseo, Illinois) scored the first baskets of the second quarter and Jones reached double figures with a bucket. Beach hit a 3-pointer for a 29-23 lead and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer to maintain the six-point lead. Grinnell scored the next seven before Rangel and Mitchell hit back-to-back 3’s. Mitchell made another one for a 41-40 lead and then split free throws. Rangel hit a third 3-pointer in the half and Goodrich put the Scots up 47-46 before the Pioneers scored the final basket of the half.
Beach put the Scots up to start the third quarter and scored again after a 4-0 Grinnell run. Mitchell’s fifth 3-pointer gave Monmouth a 54-52 lead but the Pioneers went on an 8-2 run. Grinnell extended the lead to 64-57 before Rangel hit a 3-pointer. Jones had a 3-point play to cap the quarter with Grinnell leading 67-63.
Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) got the Scots on the board with a 3-pointer early in the fourth and Beach cut the Grinnell lead down to three at 71-68. The Pioneers pushed the lead to 78-70 before Goodrich scored with 4:33 to play. Down 80-72, Madison Heisch (Illinois City, Illinois) made two free throws with 3:32 to play but the Scots didn’t score again while Grinnell added a bucket a minute later for the final score of 82-74.
Mitchell led the way with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. Rangel was 4-for-7 from deep for a career-high 14 points while Jones also scored 14 points. Beach added 13 points and led the Scots with nine rebounds and three steals. Jones had three blocks and three assists, tying Mitchell for the team lead in helpers.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Mitchell’s 18 points are tied for the most by a Monmouth player this season and tied her career high from Nov 8, 2022 against Greenville. Her five made 3-pointers are also a season-high for any Monmouth player. Mitchell has scored in double figures six times this season and 16 times in her Monmouth career. Jones has scored 10 or more eight times this season and 12 times overallRangel’s 14 are a career high as are her four made 3-pointers. Beach has three games this season in double figures. The Scots also scored 74 points against Dominican on Nov. 25. Jones had a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high three blocksMonmouth made 13 3-pointers, their most since making a school-record 15 on Nov. 29, 2022 against Lake Forest. The Scots lead the all-time series 58-32. Last year the teams split with the home team winning both games. Monmouth is 6-4 in the last 10 overall and the Pioneers had lost five straight in Glennie Gym dating back to a win on Jan. 18, 2017. The teams will play again in Iowa on Feb. 17. The Fighting Scots next play at Lawrence on Saturday and the next home game is next Tuesday against Lake Forest with both games following the men’s contests.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
