WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW women's basketball led by nine at halftime and erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to prevail in overtime against Monmouth, 80-77, in an instant classic at Trask Coliseum on Sunday. 

The Seahawks improved to 9-9 and 3-2 in the CAA in a game that featured 11 lead changes and seven ties, while Monmouth fell to 8-9 and 3-3 in the CAA. With the victory, UNCW is now tied for third in the CAA. The Seahawks also matched their CAA win total from a season ago. UNCW also improved to 3-0 in overtime games this season.  

Taylor Henderson matched her season-high with 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, and grabbed seven rebounds. In her first game off the bench this season, Evan Miller also had 18 points, including three three-pointers on six attempts. Against her former team, where she was the CAA's Sixth Player of the Year last season, graduate transfer Jania Hall scored 15 off the bench and matched her season-high with six assists. Ali Zelaya scored 15 points and had team-highs with eight rebounds and three blocks. McCall King chipped in with six points in her first start of the season and Isis Fitch added six points in 10 minutes of action. 

Monmouth started fast in the first quarter, building a 19-9 lead at the 3:46 mark of the opening stanza. The Hawks started the game shooting 7-of-8, making all three of their three-point attempts with six assists. The Hawks also built a 10-0 advantage in fast break points, but UNCW settled down after a timeout and responded with a 6-0 run to end the quarter to cut Monmouth's lead to four. Five different Seahawks scored in the opening quarter, including seven from Zelaya. 

The Seahawks used the momentum from the end of the first quarter and steamrolled the Hawks in the second, outscoring Monmouth 24-11 to grab a 39-30 lead at the half. UNCW held a 20-0 advantage in bench points at the break and had a 12-1 edge in points off turnovers. The Seahawks held Monmouth to shooting 5-of-16 from the field and 1-for-8 from beyond the arc in the quarter. Hall hit a key pull-up jumper right before the buzzer to match the Seahawks' largest lead up to that point. Zelaya led the Seahawks with 12 points at the half, while Evan Miller added 10 first-half points, including eight in the second quarter.

Monmouth stormed out of the halftime break, going on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 39 in the early stages of the third quarter. The Hawks flipped the script and outscored UNCW 24-13 in the third to take a 54-52 lead heading into the fourth. The Hawks forced eight turnovers in the quarter and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Seahawks 16-4. 

The Seahawks' third-quarter woes continued as Monmouth began the fourth quarter on an 11-4 run over the first four minutes to regain a nine-point lead, which forced Head Coach Nicole Woods to call a timeout with 5:50 remaining in the game. UNCW faced an 11-point (67-56) deficit with five minutes to play. UNCW soared back with a miraculous surge to tie the game at 69 with just over a minute remaining. Kemari Reynolds knocked down a corner three to give Monmouth a lead with 33.7 left in the game, but Henderson answered with an acrobatic layup that sent Trask Coliseum into a frenzy. Henderson converted at the free throw line to tie the game at 72 with 27 seconds left. On Monmouth's next possession, Damaris Rodriguez was under heavy defensive pressure from UNCW and missed the potential game-winner, sending the game to overtime. 

Fans were on the edge of their seats for the entire five-minute overtime period. UNCW led by three on two separate occasions to start overtime, but Monmouth came within one point and had a chance to retake the lead. With 26.3 seconds left, Zelaya had an emphatic block on the defensive end that electrified the crowd. Moments later, King split a pair of free throws, giving UNCW a 78-76 lead. Monmouth had a chance to tie the game at the free-throw line after Belle Kranbuhl got fouled going for an offensive rebound with three seconds left. After making the first, the Trask Coliseum crowd erupted as Kranbuhl missed the second attempt. Henderson came up with the defensive rebound and the Seahawks called timeout. Moments later, Hall sealed the victory at the foul line with two free throws against her former team. 

UP NEXT

UNCW travels to Williamsburg, Va. to take on William & Mary on Friday at 7 p.m. William & Mary won both regular season matchups a year ago. UNCW aims to snap a five-game winless streak against The Tribe.