Josie Morgan's Career-High 26 Points Lead Scots to 84-40 Win

Monmouth Now 2-0 in MWC Action

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (12/04/2021) — The Monmouth College women's basketball team built a big lead early and never looked back in an 84-40 Midwest Conference win over Beloit College on Saturday. Senior Josie Morgan (Washington, Illinois) hit five 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 26 points for the Scots (5-2, 2-0).

The teams traded baskets early as both made a 3-pointer in the first two minutes for a 5-5 game. Kaitlyn Osmulski (Peoria, Illinois) made a pair of free throws to give Monmouth their first lead. Zoie Wall (Peoria, Illinois) drilled a 3-pointer and Morgan scored on consecutive possessions before a Beloit timeout paused an 11-0 Scots run.

Osmulski pushed the run to 12 with a free throw and a 15-5 lead. After Beloit scored to stop the run, Morgan completed a 3-point play for an 18-7 Monmouth advantage. Monmouth pushed the lead to 14 on a free throw by Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) and a layup by Osmulski. Beloit missed two free throws and Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) knocked down a mid-range jumper for a 23-7 lead.

Harlan scored the first basket of the second quarter to put the Scots up by 18. Beloit went on a 4-0 run but Harlan scored inside and Jadyn MItchell (Flanagan, Illinois) got a 3-point play for a 30-11 lead. Jordan Kintigh (Goshen, Indiana) scored off a turnover to put the Scots up 21 and Beloit called a timeout with 4:29 left in the half.

Monmouth pushed the lead to 25 with a couple free throws before Beloit scored five straight points to cut the lead to 36-16. The teams traded free throws and Kintigh scored in the post as the Scots took a 42-21 lead into the halftime break.

Beloit started the second half with a 4-0 run before Morgan nailed a 3-pointer on the wing. Mitchell split free throws with 6:47 left in the third quarter, her first miss of the season after 20 straight makes. Warner made a 3-pointer from the corner for a 51-29 lead and Harlan followed with a layup.

Beloit cut the lead down to 18 after a couple Monmouth turnovers. Morgan responded with a layup and Warner made a 3-pointer from the wing to end the third quarter with Monmouth on top 58-35.

The Scots pushed the lead to 31 with a 3-pointer by Morgan, a layup from Osmulski and a 3-pointer by Wall. Kintigh made a free throw to push the Monmouth run to 14 straight before Morgan and Wall both connected from deep for a 73-35 lead. The 20-0 run ended when Elizabeth Kalk made a free throw with 5:15 to play.

Morgan nailed another 3-pointer to establish a new career high with 23 points and push the Monmouth lead to 76-38. She made another 3-pointer to push the lead to 82-40 and freshman Delaney Scheidenhelm (New Berlin, Illinois) made two free throws for the final two points of the game.

Morgan netted a career-high 26 points to go with three assists and eight rebounds. Osmulski had 12 points and Warner 10 to also get into double digits.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Mitchell made her first six free throws to run her streak to 20 straight before missing attempt 21...The streak of 20 consecutive made free throws is tied for fourth longest in school history with Paige Nord (2014-15)...The school record is 32, set by Becca Gallis in 2019-20...Osmulski's streak of 29 straight free throws made ended on her first attempt of this seasonMorgan has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season and at least two from deep in four straight games...She's scored in double figures six times this season...The 26 points is a new career-high after Morgan scored 20 points at Lake Forest on Tuesday...her five 3-pointers made were also a career high and she's made nine 3-pointers this week...Warner has scored in double figures in two straight games...The Scots made a season-high 12 3-pointers on the season, going 10-for-20 (.500) in the second half after making just 2-of-13 in the first half...The Scots host Illinois College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the final game before the holiday break.