The Monmouth College women's basketball team started slow on Monday night but raced past  Beloit 66-56 to stay in first place in the Midwest Conference. The Scots (8-3, 5-0) got 19 points from Josie Morgan (Washington, Illinois) and 20 rebounds from Jordan Kintigh (Goshen, Indiana) in the win. 

Beloit scored the first six points of the game and sprinted out to a 17-3 lead as the Scots struggled from the field. Kintigh made a layup and Morgan drilled a 3-pointer but Beloit still led 21-11 at the end of the quarter. 

Monmouth chipped way during the second quarter and they cut the deficit to six at 27-21 on another 3-pointer from Morgan. Beloit briefly pushed the lead back to double digits but Lily Harlan (Washington, Illinois) made a basket and Kintigh made two free throws for a halftime score of 32-25 Beloit. Kintigh already had a double-double at halftime with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

Beloit pushed the lead back to 10 to start the second half before the Scots went on an 8-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer and free throw from Zoie Wall (Peoria, Illinois). Tarae Warner (Burlington, Iowa) hit a 3-pointer to cut the Beloit lead to one and she buried another one with 1:00 left in the third for the first Monmouth lead of the night. Jadyn Mitchell (Flanagan, Illinois) followed with a 3-pointer and the Scots led 48-43 after three. 

Morgan kept the 3-point barrage going with a bucket to start the fourth and Warner made a jumper for a 53-47 lead. Beloit got to within two before Kaitlyn Osmulski (Peoria, Illinois) made a 3-pointer and a free throw. Wall put the Scots up by eight with 3:01 left and Warner's jumper pushed the lead to 10. Kintigh grabbed her 20th rebound of the game with 1:23 to play and the teams traded baskets for a 66-56 final score.

Morgan led the way with 19 points on five made 3-pointers and she also had five steals. Kintigh had 12 points to go with her 20 rebounds and three steals. Warner also finished in double figures with 12 points while Osmulski had nine. Wall had eight points and led the team with four assists while also grabbing two steals.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Monmouth swept Beloit with an 84-40 win at Glennie Gym in December…The Scots are the only unbeaten team in conference play at 5-0…Kintigh recorded the eighth 20-rebound game in program history and the first since Marla Willard tied the single-game record with 21 rebounds on Nov. 21, 2012…Ten of her rebounds were offensive…Monmouth made 10 3-pointers, five from Morgan…Morgan has scored in double figures in 10 of the 11 games this season…Monmouth scored 30 points off 21 Beloit turnovers and recorded 14 steals…The Scots host Lake Forest on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and Knox on Saturday at 1 p.m.