BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Despite having four players in double-figures, paced by sophomore Travis Taylor's 20 points and seven rebounds, the Monmouth University men's basketball team fell at Long Island University, 83-74 in Northeast Conference play at the Wellness Center on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Hawks to 12-16 overall and 8-8 in the NEC, while the Blackbirds improve to 12-15 and 10-6 in the league.
Taylor went for a team-best 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, while senior Whitney Coleman added 19 points and six assists, junior Justin Sofman contributed 12 points on four three-pointers, Freshman Ed Waite just missed his second career double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
LIU hit 5-of-6 field goals to open the contest, led by five early points from Kyle Johnson, to take an 11-8 lead with just less than five minutes gone by in the first half.
Coleman knocked down a pair of three-pointers to help bring the Hawks within a single possession at 21-18 with 8:33 remaining in the opening half. One minute later, sophomore Will Campbell rained down a triple from the top of the key to draw MU within a single point at 24-23.
After the Blackbirds built a six-point lead, MU exploded for a 7-0 scoring run to take a 31-30 lead, highlighted by a Taylor drunk and a transition three from Sofman, while a no-look pass from James Hett to Waite with 3:52 left before halftime punctuated the spree.
Long Island took a 38-35 lead into halftime after shooting 54.2% from the floor in the first half. Johnson led the way for the Blackbirds with 18 points in the opening half. Coleman and Taylor each scored eight points to lead the way for the Hawks, who shot 42.9% from the field in the first half.
After LIU went up by eight, Monmouth responded with a 9-0 scoring run to take a 44-43 lead with 15:49 remaining following a Coleman right corner three-pointer. The Blackbirds responded with a 12-2 run of their own to take a 55-46 lead with 13:38 lead after a traditional three-point play by Jaytornah Wisseh.
The Hawks cut LIU's lead to 58-53 after Sofman swished home a three-pointer and then found Taylor underneath for a two-handed dunk with 10:01 left in the second half. Consecutive Sofman three-pointers trimmed the Blackbirds' advantage to 70-66 with 4:51 left in the contest.
Monmouth returns to action on Thursday, February 25 when it travels to Hamden, Conn. for a 7:30 pm tip at Quinnipiac.
