(1) Towson vs (7) Monmouth | 2023 CAA Tournament: Championship | 3.12.23

TOWSON, MD – History was made on Sunday afternoon in SECU Arena!! The No. 7 Monmouth University women's basketball won its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship with an 80-55 win over No. 1 Towson University. The Hawks made history as the first seven seed to win the CAA title as they knocked off the number one, two and three seeds while playing four games in four days en route to the conference championship.

Monmouth earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win and will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1983. The Hawks will face Tennessee Tech in a First Four game on Thursday, Mar. 16.

The dynamic guard combo of Bri Tinsley and Ariana Vanderhoop combined for 35 points and 12 rebounds in the contest. Tinsley finished with 18 points and four rebounds while Vanderhoop had 17 points and eight rebounds. Jania Hall had 13 of her season-high 14 points in the second half for the Hawks. Alexia Nelson led Towson with 13 points.

The Hawks sprinted out to a 15-2 lead in the first as Vanderhoop had seven in that early scoring spurt. The two teams traded points as another Vanderhoop bucket at the four-minute mark extended the Hawks' lead to 19-7. Monmouth eventually took a 22-14 lead after one.

Towson had the hot hand to start the second as the Tigers went on a 13-4 run and pulled to within one, 28-27 with 5:44 left until the break. Monmouth responded with an 11-4 run and pushed its lead back to eight, 39-31 with 2:10 on the clock. A deep three from Tinsley late in the second sent the Hawks into the locker room with a 44-34 lead.

The two squads settled into a defensive battle in the third, Monmouth outscored the Tigers 12-9 in that 10-minute stretch and took a 56-43 lead through three.

Monmouth shot 6-for-8 from the floor and made 12-of-13 chances from the foul line in the fourth quarter to close out the 80-65 win.

NOTES & QUOTES
"We talked yesterday about the buy in and the vulnerability of the what if and that was a pivotal moment for our team. Our players were ready to go today. We hit hard, hit first and weathered the storm. Invest in the things that are important. I'm grateful for my staff, you win the locker room and the scoreboard takes care of itself."
Head Coach Ginny Boggess

Monmouth ran its win streak to five straight games.
The Hawks will be playing in the NCAA Tournament since the 1983 team.
MU won the rebounding battle, 40-26. The Hawks won the battle on the boards in all four games in the tournament.
The Hawks went 21-for-27 from the foul line in the game while limiting Towson to just a 5-for-7 night.
Monmouth got great production from its bench as the Hawks got 23 points from the bench.
For the second straight game, the Hawks held an opponent to under 10 points in one of the quarters (Towson-9 in the third).

NUMBERS CRUNCH
Bri Tinsley was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 18 points in the final and averaging 15 for the week. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Lovin Marsicano who averaged 11 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Belle Kranbuhl tallied three blocks in the game and finished the tournament with 10 blocks in four games.
Tinsley hit a pair of three-pointers in the game and became the seventh player in program history to record 70 or more three-pointers in a single-season.
Tinsley and Jania Hall each knocked down a team-high six free throws in the game.

NEXT UP
Monmouth is back in action on Thursday, March 16 when they compete in the NCAA Tournament First Four game. The Hawks will take on Tennessee Tech on Indiana's campus.