Green Knights Can't Slow Monmouth

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, November 30, 2018 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College couldn't string together enough stops and succumbed 71-60 to Monmouth College in a Midwest Conference game on Connie Tilley Court at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center.

The Green Knights (1-3, 0-1 MWC) trailed 31-30 at halftime, while Monmouth (6-0, 1-0) had an early 12-0 second-half run to take command.

St. Norbert and Monmouth battled evenly in the first quarter, a period that ended 12-12 and featured five ties. The Green Knights then led by as many as six points at 28-22 with 2:14 left in the second quarter, but the Scots would go on a 7-2 run to close out the half to take a one-point lead.

Ali Hoeft's basket to open the second half put St. Norbert ahead 32-31, but that would be the last lead for the Green Knights. Monmouth then went on its 12-0 run to lead 43-32 with 6:04 left in the third quarter.

St. Norbert trailed 59-44 with 9:19 remaining, but would cut the deficit down to five after a 12-2 run, capped by a Macie Zurfluh layup with 42:28 to play to bring the host to within 61-56. Monmouth would score on its next two possessions to retake control. St. Norbert would get to within 65-60 with 3:08 left, but Monmouth got a second-chance basket with 2:31 remaining to effectively decide the outcome.

Zurfluh led St. Norbert with 13 points, while Christine Olijnyk added 11 points and Sarah Neumann 10 points. The Green Knights shot 42.6 percent (26-for-61) from the floor but committed 20 turnovers.

Monmouth got 20 points from Carley Turnbull and 17 from Shayne Smith. The Scots shot 52.9 percent (27-for-51) from the floor but committed 23 turnovers.