Women's Basketball Falls Short, 63-59, to Monmouth

(boxscore)

1/15/05 -- Senior Polona Oberc (Ljubljana, Slovenia) scored 21 points and sophomore Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 12, but it was not enough for Long Island in a 63-59 Northeast Conference loss to Monmouth at Schwartz Center.

Liz Whalen hit 1-of-2 free throws with 38 seconds left to give the Hawks (6-7, 2-2 NEC) a 59-53 lead. Oberc drilled two from the stripe with 30 seconds remaining to pull the Blackbirds (7-8, 3-3) within four before Erin Winston made 1-of-2 from the line with 25 seconds left for a 60-55 game.

Brianne Edwards connected once from the line with 10 seconds left for a 61-57 Monmouth lead and after senior Ravin Chase (Baltimore, Md.) hit a layup, Winston made a pair at the stripe with 1.9 seconds left for the final score.

Oberc matched her point total from Thursday against Fairleigh Dickinson and has averaged 19.3 points over her last three contests. She shot 5-of-11 from the floor to help the Blackbirds shoot 41 percent.

Sawyer’s point total matches her scoring average over the last four contests. She dished six assists and grabbed four rebounds. Sophomore Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) closed with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Niamh Dwyer poured in 15 points, Whalen scored 14 and Winston netted 13 for the Hawks, who shot 56 percent (18-of-43) from the field after intermission. Bridgette Bynum grabbed 10 rebounds to help Monmouth own a 37-21 edge.

Monmouth scored the game’s first 12 points before LIU used a 15-2 run to grab a one-point lead. Oberc scored six points in the spurt and Oblak netted four.

LIU hosts Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, beginning at 7:00 pm.