WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Senior guard
Abby Antognoli scored her 1,000th career point in Lafayette's 60-54 loss at Monmouth on Sunday afternoon.
Monmouth had a slight edge on the boards (43-38), but got to the line 16 more times (24-8), converting 17 of its attempts to the Leopards' five.
Antognoli and junior guard
Kay Donahue each had 16 points for the Leopards. At the 5:49 mark in the fourth quarter, Antognoli became the 21
st player in Lafayette women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone with a three-point bucket from the corner, assisted by classmate
Halee Smith.
Smith got the Leopards on the board first (9:15) with a mid-range jumper, but the hosts quickly took a 6-4 lead with just over five minutes left in the first quarter. Lafayette trailed 9-4 before buckets by Antognoli and junior guard
Kay Donahue cut its deficit to one point (9-8) to end the period.
Monmouth outscored the Leopards 12-7 in the second period, despite both teams grabbing 13 boards apiece. Taisha Exanor led all scorers in the quarter with four points and four other Hawks dropped in two points. The hosts recorded four more points in the paint (6-2), on their way to a 21-15 lead at the half.
Offenses got going in the second half. Lafayette trailed 23-17 (7:57) prior to going on a 6-1 run courtesy of triples by junior guard
Sauda Ntaconayigize and Smith. Antognoli (5) and Donahue (6) combined for 11 points in the quarter, outscoring the Hawks 19-17. With 10 minutes to go in OceanFirst Bank Center, the Maroon and White trailed 38-34.
In the fourth, Monmouth's Belle Kranbuhl made a layup with 6:52 to go in the game, extending the Leopards' deficit to nine points (50-41). Lafayette responded right away with two quick threes by Smith and Antognoli and trailed by three points. The Maroon and White found themselves down eight points with 3:18 to go, but Donahue and Antognoli each knocked down triples to make it a two-point game (55-53). Doanhue had a good chance to tie the game with 40 seconds to go, but her pull-up jumper missed the bucket, resulting in a Monmouth victory.
The Maroon and White return to Kirby at 6 p.m. on Wednesday as they invite Fairleigh Dickinson to Easton.
To keep up with the Lafayette women's basketball program, follow its social media pages.
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