Scots Fall Short in Bid for NCAA Tournament
Morgan scores 22 as Monmouth falls in MWC Championship
MONMOUTH, Ill. (02/27/2022) — The Monmouth College women's basketball team fell short in their bid to return to the NCAA Tournament with a 62-55 loss to Ripon in the Midwest Conference Tournament Championship game on Saturday. The loss ends the Scots season at 14-10 while the Red Hawks earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ripon started the game on a 5-0 run before Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) scored off glass at the 6:29 mark. After Jordan Kintigh (Goshen, Indiana) scored, Kaitlyn Osmulski (Peoria, Illinois) tied the game at 7-7 with a 3-pointer.
Ripon went on an 8-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers made while the Scots also lost Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) to an ankle injury. Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) stopped the run with a pair of free throws with Ripon up 15-9. The Red Hawks scored to end the quarter with a 17-9 lead.
Josie Morgan (Washington, Illinois) made a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, her first basket of the game. She scored again on a driving layup but Ripon answered to push the lead to 24-14 with 5:09 to play in the half. Monmouth fell into an offensive drought and Ripon extended the lead to 16 points. Warner scored in the lane to end the Ripon 8-0 run and the teams traded points over the next two possessions. Ripon turned the ball over to end the half with a 32-18 lead.
The Scots came out shooting in the third quarter as Osmulski and Morgan made 3-pointers on the first two possessions to cut the lead to 10. Zoie Wall (Peoria, Illinois) scored to get the deficit to eight before the Red Hawks answered. Warner and Morgan scored on the next two possessions and forced a Ripon timeout with the score at 38-32 and 5:25 to go in the quarter.
Ripon turned the ball over out of the timeout and Osmulski hit a 3-pointer to get the Scots within three. But the Red Hawks scored seven points on the next two possessions with the rare 4-point-play, to push the lead back to 10. Ripon finished the quarter on a 12-3 run and took a 50-38 lead into the fourth.
Kintigh scored on a putback to start the fourth quarter and Morgan's shot off glass got the Scots within eight points again. After a shot clock violation by Ripon, Morgan scored again to make it 50-44 with just over 6:00 to play. Morgan made a pair of free throws and the teams traded baskets before Kintigh got the Scots within four again.
Ripon hit a 3-pointer and forced a turnover to take a 58-50 lead with 2:30 to play. The teams traded turnovers before Ripon made free throws for a 60-50 lead. Morgan scored and the Scots forced a turnover with 1:02 to play. Osmulski cut the lead to six with a shot in the lane and Monmouth got the ball back after a Ripon miss.
Morgan split free throws and Ripon called timeout leading 60-55 with 25.8 seconds left. Ripon split free throws for a 61-55 lead and Monmouth turned the ball over with 15 seconds to play. The Red Hawks made another free throw and the Scots missed on the other end for the 62-55 final.
Morgan led the Scots with 22 points while Osmulski had 11. Kintigh had eight points and six rebounds while both Wall and Warner had six points. Monmouth never led in the game and finish the season at 14-10 with three losses to the Red Hawks.