Monmouth Women's Basketball Falls at Benedictine on Wednesday

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (12/19/2024) — The Monmouth College women's basketball dropped a non-conference game at Benedictine University on Wednesday night. The Fighting Scots (4-6) led early but ultimately fell to the Eagles 64-52.

Ashley Jones (Abingdon, Illinois) scored the first basket of the game and Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead. Rangel hit another 3-pointer for an 8-2 lead but the Eagles scored the next eight points. Rangel tied the game at 10 before the hosts went on a 13-2 run with the Monmouth basket from Kynlee Stearns (Gilson, Illinois). Delaney Scheidenhelm New Berlin, Illinois) and Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) made free throws down the stretch and Madison Finch (Aledo, Illinois) scored as the Scots trailed 25-16.

Stearns started the second quarter with a basket but the Eagles went on a 9-2 run to lead 34-20. Kiersten Cox (Illinois City, Illinois) scored Monmouth's final six points of the half over a 3-minute span with four free throws and a jumper. The Eagles pushed their lead to 17 before two of the free throws made the halftime score 41-26.

Jones scored to start the second half and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) completed a 3-point play. After Jones scored, Olivia Dinges (Amboy, Illinois) made a pair of free throws as the teams traded buckets. Finch and Hoy both scored and the Scots cut the lead to eight on a bucket by Jones with three seconds left in the quarter.

The Eagles started the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to lead 60-45 before Goodrich and Cox scored in a 20 second span. Down 15, with 2:00 left, the Scots got a bucket from Rangle and another from Lauren Millhiser (Des Plaines, Illinois). The Eagles ran out the clock for a 64-52 win with neither team scoring over the final 1:26.

Rangel led the team in scoring with 12 points while Jones had 11. Jones grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, one more than Stearns. Jones also led with three assists and four blocks while both Finch and Cox had two steals.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Jones has scored in double figures eight times this season, including four straight games ... She has at least eight rebounds in five straight games ... Jones has 10 blocks in the last three games ... Rangel made three 3-pointers, one off her season and career high from Nov. 20 against Mount Mary ... She has made multiple 3-pointers in seven games this season ... All 13 players saw action for the Fighting Scots ... Monmouth outrebounded Benedictine 44-41 ... The Scots committed 27 turnovers while Benedictine had 14 ... Monmouth was 11-for-17 at the free throw line and 3-of-10 from 3-point range ... The teams hadn't met since a 72-68 Monmouth win in Nov. 2014 ... The Eagles lead the all-time series 4-2 ... The 7-game road trip continues Dec. 30 at Coe ... The next home game is Jan. 18 again Ripon.