#3 Monmouth 64, #2 Sacred Heart 60
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Staten Island, NY -- No. 3 seed Monmouth shot 8-of-10 from the line over the final two minutes and held second-seeded Sacred Heart to just two baskets during the last five minutes to clinch its first berth in the Northeast Conference Tournament final in five years, 64-60 at the Spiro Sports Center.
Monmouth (17-12) will seek its first NEC title since 1987 as it faces top-seeded St. Francis (PA), a 69-62 winner earlier today over No. 4 Quinnipiac, in a rematch of the 1999 final. St. Francis (PA) has won two straight and seven of the last eight NEC women’s titles. The contest will take place Saturday at 2:00 pm in Loretto, PA and will be televised on Fox Sports-NY.
Courtney Lumpkin (Newark, NJ/West Side) hit a free throw with two minutes remaining for a 57-54 Monmouth lead and Nicolle Rubino (Port Jefferson, NY/Comsewogue) followed suit for Sacred Heart 18 seconds later. Jewonda Bright (Norfolk, VA/Delaware State) gave the Hawks a 59-55 cushion with 1:26 to play thanks to two more free throws.
After Rubino’s missed layup, it was LaSheena Martin (Sewell, NJ/Deptford) who took her turn on the line as she nailed two with 58 seconds left for a 61-55 contest. Rubino finally ended the Pioneers’ run of five straight misfires, burying a 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining for a three-point deficit.
The Hawks worked for a good shot and found Erin Winston (Bowie, MD/Elizabeth Seton), whose runner in the lane got a friendly roll with 22 seconds left for a 63-58 lead. Amanda Pape (Stamford, CT/Trinity Catholic), the NEC Rookie of the Year, hit a driving layup with 17 seconds remaining to cut it to three before Monmouth’s Niamh Dwyer (Thurles, Ireland) made 1-of-2 from the stripe to close the scoring.
Bright and Dwyer, both second team All-NEC members, paced a formidable frontcourt by scoring 14 points apiece. Lumpkin added 10 for the Hawks, who avenged two regular-season loses to the Pioneers that included a 99-94 double-overtime setback February 26 in West Long Branch, NJ.
"They set us home last time crying and we sent them home this time for good," Monmouth coach Jackie DeVane said. "We welcome the challenge (from St. Francis-PA). The last time (we played them), we couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean. Hopefully, this time our offense will play."
"It was instinct," Bright said. "We just kept saying ‘We’ve got to score. We’ve got to score.’ It was a will to win and we weren’t going to let it go. We worked so hard to get here. We’re going to the championship game and that’s what it’s all about."
Martin grabbed 10 rebounds and Dwyer hauled in nine to help the Hawks own a 45-40 advantage. Monmouth shot 52 percent (14-of-27) from the floor in the second half and 43 percent (23-of-53) overall.
"I will be aching tomorrow," Dwyer said. "It was a war out there, but both teams knew it was going to be a physical game going in."
Pape had 22 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, but Sacred Heart (21-8) could not overcome shooting 34 percent (22-of-65) from the floor and 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Rubino tossed in 12 points and Kate Maher (Waterford, Ireland) added 10 and 11 rebounds before fouling out.
"Obviously, emotions are running high and we are disappointed with the outcome of the game," Maher said. "We just didn’t make the shots we had to make."
"They simply made more shots down the stretch and we just didn’t finish," Pioneers coach Ed Swanson said. "When that happens, you know you are going to go home."