After pulling a rabbit out of the hat in each of their first two games, the UW-Whitewater women's basketball team came up with an empty sleeve Sunday in the final of the Monmouth Tip-Off Tournament, losing to host Monmouth College 90-89 in overtime in Glennie Gymnasium in Monmouth, Illinois.

Although UW-W led for the first eight minutes of the game, Monmouth came back, forcing 12 Warhawk turnovers, to lead 34-27 by halftime. 

By the 12:57 mark in the second half, for the third time this season, Whitewater found itself looking up at a double digit deficit, Monmouth leading 49-37.  And, as they had done in the two previous games, the Warhawks came back, this time on the back of senior center Cortney Kumerow.  Kumerow accounted for eight of ten points in a streak that took Whitewater from trailing 64-58 to a 68-66 lead, Whitewater's first of the second half, with 3:33 left.

From that point on neither team backed down, consistently taking, and making, clutch shots.  Kumerow made a pair of free throws with 0:45 left to give Whitewater a 74-72 lead, but MC sophomore guard Paige Nord hit a jumper with 0:30 on the clock to knot the game at 74.  After a Monmouth timeout, UW-W missed a three point attempt, then got the ball back when the Scots fumbled the rebound out of bounds with three seconds left.  The Warhawks were able to get another three off, and a rebound put back attempt, but time ran out with the score tied.

The Scots took a four point advantage, 81-77, on back-to-back baskets by junior forward Marla Willard with 3:03 on the clock in the extra period.  Kaitlyn Thill's three-pointer cut the margin to one, 81-80, at the 2:00 mark, but two free throws by Willard with 1:11 left made it 85-80 Monmouth.  Whitewater was able to get it back to one, 85-84, on a pair of free throws by freshman guard Abbie Reeves at 0:53, and on another Thill three, 88-87, at the 0:23 mark.  But Kaley Corban, a junior forward, clutched a pair of free throws at 0:15 to make it 90-87 for the Scots.  Thill forced the ball upcourt on the inbounds and drew a foul on Corban while attempting a three point shot, putting the junior guard on the line for three attempts.  She made the first two, 90-89, and when she missed the third shot the rebound was tied up and the possession arrow went to Whitewater with three seconds on the clock.  UW-W had trouble with the inbounds, with a long pass stolen by Monmouth as the horn sounded.

Thill led all scorers with 23 points, including 5-8 from beyond the arc and 6-7 from the line.  Kumerow added 21, on 6-7 from the floor and 9-11 at the stripe, and Reeves chipped in with 18.  Kumerow and Katie Burton grabbed eight rebounds each, with Burton also leading the team with four assists.  Whitewater shot 37% from the floor, 33% from three point range, and was 27-35 (77%) from the line.  The Warhawks committed 22 turnovers and had two blocked shots. 

Monmouth was led by Nord's 20 points, going 9-10 from the line.  Williams added 19, Corban 15, and Willard 14.  Williams notched a double double, also pulling down 15 rebounds, while Nord led both teams with six assists and three steals.  Despite Williams' numbers, Whitewater won the battle on the boards, 48-36.  Monmouth shot 51% from the floor, 35% from three point land, and went 23-32 (72%) at the line.  The Scots had 21 turnovers and one blocked shot. 

UW-W, eighth in the D3hoops.com poll, is 2-1.  Monmouth remains unbeaten at 3-0.  Whitewater will host Edgewood College Saturday, November 24 at 5:00 in a Parent's Day game.