Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener at Iowa Wesleyan

Monmouth Set for Saturday Home Opener

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (11/11/2021) — The Monmouth College women's basketball team started the 2021-22 season with a 72-63 loss on the road Wednesday night, falling to Iowa Wesleyan. It was the first game in more than 600 days for the Fighting Scots, since their 2020 NCAA Tournament loss to Wartburg, and also the first for head coach Megan Jones.

Monmouth got off to a good start with three of their first four field goals coming from behind the arc for an 11-6 lead. Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) made two of those shots while Josie Morgan (Washington, Illinois) had the other. Morgan made another three in the quarter, as did Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) and the Scots led 22-20 after one.

The teams traded baskets early in the second quarter before Kaitlyn Osmulski (Peoria, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer for a 25-22 Scots lead. Monmouth led 36-33 with 3:01 left in the half before the Tigers closed on an 8-0 run to lead 41-36 at the break.

Both teams started slow in the third quarter before Morgan hit a 3-pointer to cut the Tigers lead to 45-41. The Scots cut the lead to one before a 6-0 Tigers run for a 51-44 advantage and the hosts closed the third quarter with a 55-50 lead.

Monmouth started slow in the fourth quarter as they missed their first five shots while also committing three turnovers. Iowa Wesleyan took advantage, pushing the lead to 62-50 before Mitchell hit a 3-pointer with 5:42 to play. The Tigers responded with five straight for their largest lead of the game at 14. Warner hit another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight but the Tigers finished off the game with a 72-63 win.

Morgan and Osmulski finished with 14 points to lead the Scots. Warner had 11 and Mitchell scored nine points in her Monmouth debut. Jordan Kintigh (Goshen, Indiana) had six points while Zoie Wall (Peoria, Illinois) finished with five and Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) had four.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: The Scots were 9-of-27 (33.3%) from 3-point range and 11-of-18 (61.1%) on 2-pointers...Five of the nine made 3-pointers came in the first quarter...The Scots made 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the free throw line...Monmouth outrebounded Iowa Wesleyan 31-24...Iowa Wesleyan dominated on points in the paint 30-14...The Scots had 13 turnovers to just seven for the Tigers...Morgan and Osmulski both had six rebounds while Morgan added five assists...Monmouth's home opener is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. against Buena Vista...The next three games will be at Glennie Gym

Josie

Morgan