Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Monmouth
Women's Basketball Falls to Monmouth, 58-53
11/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2001
MIAMI, Fla. - Northwestern's women's basketball team finished their trip to Miami, Fla., with a 58-53 loss to Monmouth University from New Jersey. NU finished the Florida International Tournament with an 0-2 record and are 0-4 on the season. Monmouth improves to 1-2 on the year.
In the first half it was a back and forth battle as neither team could distance themselves. Monmouth took just a 29-26 lead into halftime even though the Hawks held NU scoreless for five minutes and 28 seconds late in the quarter. NU did score the final bucket of the half as Emily Butler (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) hit a runner in the lane with 1:16 left. It was Butler's-NU's leading scorer-first shot of the half.
Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) was the story, the freshman had eight points and pulled down eight rebounds before the break. She finished the game with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, her first collegiate double double.
The second half started with Monmouth going on an 11-6 run to go up by eight points with 15:55 to play. After a media timeout, NU came out and immediately turned it over, luckily an errant Hawks pass gave NU the ball back and a Suzanne Morrison's (Franklin, Mich./Detroit Country Day) jump shot from the elbow, brought NU back to within six.
That lead stayed around the six-point mark as both teams traded baskets and turnovers for the next eight minutes. Michelle Zylstra's (Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach) two free throws with 7:41 left in regulation made the score 49-42, Monmouth.
Hampered by foul trouble, the Wildcats couldn't get any closer than three the rest of the way.
A Hawks turnover, a Butler free throw and a Morrison jumpshot brought NU to within one basket, 56-53. But that's all the Wildcats could muster as Monmouth's Sara Hatcher was fouled with .5 seconds left on the clock. She hit both free throws to end the game 58-53.
