MONMOUTH, ILL. The Monmouth College women's basketball team lost their second straight game with a 67-59 loss to Knox on Saturday. The Scots are now 8-5 on the season, 5-2 in Midwest Conference action.
Knox jumped out to an early lead with a 9-0 run as they went on top 14-6. Josie Morgan (Washington, Illinois) split free throws, then made a jump shot to cut the Knox lead to 14-9. Zoie Wall (Peoria, Illinois) scored six straight points with a pair of 3-pointers and the Prairie Fire led 17-15 after the first quarter.
Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) tied the game on the first possession of the second quarter and Wall hit another 3-pointer for a 20-17 Monmouth lead. A 3-pointer by Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) put the Scots on top 23-19.
Mitchell hit another 3-pointer for a 29-20 lead before Jessica Lee scored four straight points for Knox. The Prairie Fire capped a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer of their own to tie the game at 29 in the final minute of the half. Osmulski scored on the next possession for the Scots but Knox tied the game at the buzzer for a 31-31 contest.
The teams traded baskets over the first five minutes of the half until Morgan put the Scots up 39-37 with a reverse layup. Wall made a jumper and then after a Knox 3-pointer, Wall made her fourth from beyond the arc in the game for a 44-40 Scots lead. Morgan made it 46-40 with a long jumper and Knox got a bucket and a free throw to cut the Monmouth lead to 46-43 at the end of the third quarter.
Knox regained the lead early in the fourth quarter at 49-48 and they extended the lead with another layup. Osmulski buried her 100th career 3-pointer to tie the game at 51 with 5:28 to play. The teams traded layups before Knox hit a 3-pointer for a 56-53 lead and the Scots missed two shots on the next possession.
Knox led 58-53 when Osmulski made two free throws. A 3-point play gave Knox a 61-55 lead as the clock went under two minutes and they added a basket on the next possession. Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) made two free throws but Knox answered with a basket for a 65-57 lead. Osmulski made two more free throws but the Scots missed a pair of 3-pointers on the next possession and Knox sealed the win at the line.
Wall and Osmulski led the team with 14 points each while Harlan had nine. Wall grabbed 13 rebounds for a double double and Morgan led the team with six assists.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Wall set a career high with four 3-pointers. She also set a career high with 13 rebounds and posted her first double-double. Osmulski is the eighth player in school history to make 100 career 3-pointers. The Scots made eight 3-pointers in the first half, but just three other field goals. The Scots made just 2-of-12 3-pointers in the second half. The game had eight lead changes and eight ties. Monmouth will play four games next week with road games at Illinois College, Cornell and Grinnell plus a Sunday home game against Grinnell. The next game is Tuesday at Illinois College with a 7:30 p.m.