Women's Basketball Team Falls at Webster on Friday

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (12/17/2022) — Playing for the first time in nine days, the Monmouth College women's basketball team fell 83-49 in their first game over winter break on Friday night. The loss at Webster is the front end of a back-to-back game day as Monmouth hosts Westminster on Saturday.

The Scots changed their starting lineup for the first time all season with freshman Ashley Jones (Abingdon, Illinois) starting in place of senior Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois). Jones scored the first basket to give Monmouth a 2-0 lead but Webster scored the next 14 points and went on to lead 17-8 at the end of the first quarter.

They pushed the lead to 20 at 32-12 and got another basket before Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) scored on consecutive trips for the Scots. Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) knocked down two free throws and Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) made a 3-pointer to get the Webster lead down to 16. The hosts scored the final points of the half for a 43-25 lead.

Madison Heisch (Ililnois City, Illinois) made a 3-pointer and Zoie Wall (Bartonville, Illinois) scored early in the third but Webster went on a run to push the lead back over 20 and eventually to 56-30. The Scots made three free throws over the next two minutes and a basket by Wall made it 59-35 before Webster scored the final seven points of the quarter to lead by 31.

The lead bounced back and forth around the 30-point mark for the first six minutes of the fourth quarter as neither team went on a run. Webster hit a 3-pointer with 1:19 to play to go up by 34 and then made a free throw to lead 83-48. Kiersten Cox (Illinois City, Illinois) made a free throw with 14 seconds left for the final point of the game.

Harlan led the Scots with nine points while Jones and Tarae Warner (Bulington, Iowa) both had six points. Warner led the team with nine rebounds and Jones led the way with three assists. The Scots will host Westminster (MO) at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday, following the men's game against Westminster.