Since 2017, the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team won 11 straight games against the Monmouth Hawks. The Hawks defeated the Bobcats 70-60 on Thursday evening at the People’s United Center.

The last time Monmouth picked up a win in Hamden, prior to today’s game, was in 2012. A decade later the Hawks were able to come together and play a complete game of basketball.

The first quarter was intense as neither team gave each other an inch. Quinnipiac quickly jumped out to an 8-2 lead however the Hawks found their groove from downtown. Monmouth shot 100 percent from three-point range in the first quarter and were able to go on an 8-0 run to make the score 10-8. The Bobcats were able to use the final three minutes in the first to outscore the Hawks 5-3 to tie the game at 13.

The second quarter included reminiscence of the first as both teams displayed how evenly matched they were. A few minutes into the second quarter Monmouth was able to break the tie and make the score 17-13. The Bobcats responded with a 13-4 run to take a 26-21 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. The Hawks absorbed that punch and fired another one of their own to tie the game at 32 heading into halftime.

Senior Mackenzie DeWees and Junior Cur’Tiera Haywood carried the scoring load for the Bobcats in the first half. The two of them combined for 22 of the Bobcats 32 points.

After the first two minutes in the third quarter the Hawks held a 38-36 lead. Quinnipiac used the final eight minutes of the quarter to outscore Monmouth 18-9 to carry a 52-47 lead into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter commenced, and the Hawks came out scorching. 5’4” Guard Stella Clark was serving buckets to the Bobcats however she wanted. She finished the game with 20 points and the Hawks were able to outscore the Bobcats 23-8 in the fourth quarter.

Bobcats head coach Tricia Fabbri was optimistic about her team after the loss.

“We just have to find our footing again and our belief again. We need our players to feel good about their games and not be so tense going into games. We just need to relax and find our footing out there,” Fabbri said.

DeWees finished the game with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in the 70-60 loss against Monmouth, her third double-double of the season.

“We did well on the offensive end running our sets and that’s why we were able to get our buckets, I really thought that more of our issues were on the defensive end,” DeWees said.

The Bobcats will travel to Loudonville, New York on Jan. 8 to continue conference play against the Siena Saints.