AUGUSTA - Defense may win games, but offense helps make it easier to do so.

Monmouth Academy's defensive play was certainly good enough to produce a quarterfinal win Tuesday, but it wasn't until the offense began to click in the third quarter that the Mustangs felt a little more comfortable with its chances.

Monmouth won its first Western C quarterfinal game since 1985 with a 49-33 win over Hall-Dale at the Augusta Civic Center. The Mustangs advance to face Waynflete in Thursday's semifinal.

Monmouth couldn't shake the Bulldogs throughout the first half. Hall-Dale even trimmed the lead down to five twice in the third quarter before the Mustangs pulled away.

"We knew we had to come out strong to start the half," said senior guard Katie Woodman. "As soon as we saw the momentum slow down, we knew we had to pick it back up."

The Mustangs used to 10-2 run midway through the quarter. After Taylor Masse hit two free throws to make it 21-16, the Mustangs got a basket in the paint from Alyssa Morin. Jenn Lola followed with a fast break basket.

After a pair of free throws by Hall-Dale's Arian Kumlangngam, Bethany Neal hit a pair of jumpers from the corner for a 31-18.

"I was kind of nervous in the beginning," said Neal. "After getting the first half out of the way, I got the feel for it."

The Bulldogs answered with a basket by Britta Olsen and free throws by Amy Skillings, but Neal hit another jumper and Moe Beaulieu finished off a pass by Lola.

"We were really clicking right then," said Neal. "We wanted to come out with a bang and get things started off good."

Lola finished with 17 points while Morin added 10. Beaulieu and Neal added eight each. Jill Armstrong had two points and did a nice job distributing the ball for six assists.

"Everybody kind of looks at Jenn Lola and she's the focus of a lot of teams," said Monmouth coach Rick Amero. "We have a lot of kids that are capable of doing things. It seems like whenever teams focus on Jenn, that's when the kids have their best game. That's what being a team is all about."

Monmouth and Hall-Dale split during the regular season. The Bulldogs (11-9) handed Monmouth (18-2) its first loss of the season, but the Mustangs avenged that and jumped on Hall-Dale quickly in the third meeting.

"You can't really focus on the past," said Woodman. "We knew we had to focus on this game. We knew if we played well, we had the potential to beat them."

The Bulldogs shot 1-for-9 in the opening quarter and turned the ball over eight times. Monmouth built a quick 8-0 lead as a result. Lola had four points while Beaulieu and Morin also scored.

"Luckily, we work off our defense," said Amero. "Our defense has been the heart and soul of this team and that was the case today."

Hall-Dale was able to stick around and stay within reach. After a 12-4 first quarter, Hall-Dale finished the half with a 6-2 run. Brittany Ladner and Erika Brann scored field goals during that stretch to get within 19-12 at the half. Ladner finished with eight for the Bulldogs. Brann hurt her ankle late in the half and didn't return.

"We did a good job stopping some of their strengths, like Britta Olsen inside and the high-low offense," said Amero.

Though the Mustangs defensive effort was there, the offense couldn't build on its lead. In the third, Hall-Dale cut the lead to five on a basket by Ariel Howes.

After two Lola free throws, Masse made it 21-16 with her two foul shots.

The Mustangs shot 8-for-12 in the third and extended the lead for good.

"Different people stepped up when we needed them," said Neal.