WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Monmouth, which hit a season-high 62.5% from the floor, posted a 73-64 Northeast Conference victory over Saint Francis on Thursday night, in Boylan Gym. With the win, Monmouth keeps its NEC postseason hopes alive, as the Hawks had four players score in double-digits.
Monmouth improved to 7-22 overall and 4-13 in the league, while the Red Flash falls to 6-22 and 4-13 in conference play.
Devin Sweetney's layup off a Monmouth turnover put the Red Flash ahead 6-5 with 16:17 remaining, but the Hawks answered with an 11-2 spurt to take a 16-8 advantage with 13:44 left in the half. With 9:30 on the clock, Monmouth increased its lead to 23-12, after consecutive baskets from Whitney Coleman.
Trailing 25-15 at 8:45, the Red Flash trimmed the Hawks' lead to 30-27, over the next 4:36, as Grant Surprenant connected on two of SFU's three three-pointers in the 12-5 run.
Monmouth ended the half on a 7-3 spurt, paced by Coleman's two baskets and a deep trey from Yaniv Simpson, to hold a 37-30 edge at the intermission.
After Marquis Ford's two free throws out of the break pulled SFU within 37-32, the Hawks responded with a 17-4 run to claim a 54-35 lead with 13:32 remaining. Monmouth, which held SFU without a field goal until the 10:50 mark of the second half (which was coupled with the final 2:27 of the first half), received three driving scores from James Hett in the spurt.
The Red Flash answered with a 10-3 run, which included back-to-back treys from Sorena Orandi and Ford, to pull within 57-45 with 7:03 left in the contest.
SFU battled to within 61-51, as Monmouth was able to connect on two field goals during a nearly nine-minute stretch, but the Hawks inflated the lead to 67-54 with 3:41 left after four straight Alex Nunner free throws.
The Red Flash, on a Ford trifecta, trimmed the edge to 69-60 with 2:56 remaining, but Nick DelTufo put the Hawks back ahead by 12 points, with his traditional three-point play at the 1:34 mark.
Monmouth had two players register 20 points in the same game for the first time this season, as Coleman and Simpson each posted 20 points. Nunner added 12 points and tied a career-high with eight rebounds, while Hett added 10 points and four assists. The Hawks, who outrebounded the Red Flash 26-19, received eight boards from Coleman as well.
The Blue and White, which hit 15-for-17 from the free throw line in the second half to preserve the win, connected on 7-for-17 from beyond the arc. With the win, the Hawks snapped an 11-game losing streak in conference play at home.
Monmouth returns to action on Saturday, March 1, in the regular season finale when the Hawks travel to Mount St. Mary's for a game at 7:00 p.m., in Knott Arena.
