LORETTO, PA. - Saint Francis University, playing in its first conference home game of the season, hit nine first-half three-pointers and raced out to a 19-point halftime lead, en route to a 70-54 victory over Monmouth on Thursday night in DeGol Arena.
Junior Mike Myers Keitt led three Hawks in double-figures with 18 points and a career-high eight rebounds, while Ed Waite added 11 points and six boards. Marcus Ware notched his second straight 10-point outing for the Hawks, while R.J. Rutledge corralled a career-high nine rebounds.
Leading 5-4 after a Ware drive off an inbounds play, the Red Flash connected on three straight three-pointers, including a pair from Will Felder, to grab a 14-4 lead with 12:49 left in the half. Two free throws from Ware, coupled with his turnaround jumper, trimmed the deficit to 14-8, but a fifth Saint Francis trey claimed a 17-8 advantage for the home side with 10:27 remaining.
Monmouth climbed within 17-11 with 9:56 showing on Jesse Steele's corner three-pointer, but SFU notched four of the game's next five to claim a 21-12 lead.
Following Waite's offensive rebound and putback, the Red Flash strung together seven straight points, including their sixth trey of the half, to take a 28-14 edge, with 3:44 left in the stanza.
Waite's old-fashioned three-point play halted SFU's spurt, but Umar Shannon's trifecta at 3:06, and technical free throw, gave the Red Flash a 32-17 advantage, with 2:43 showing. Myers Keitt's basket pulled Monmouth within 32-19, but SFU drilled two more treys to coral a 38-19 lead at the break.
Saint Francis, which hit nine three-pointers in the opening half, put Monmouth in its second-largest halftime hole of the season.
Monmouth opened the second stanza with a 12-6 spurt, as Rutledge, Ware, Myers Keitt and Waite all added baskets for the Hawks, while James Hett's three-point play pulled the Hawks within 46-34, with 14:26 left.
SFU answered with the next five points to claim a 51-34 edge, before Steele's three-pointer made the score 51-37, with 11:48 on the clock.
After a pair of Jon Taylor free throws gave the Red Flash a 19-point cushion for a third time, 60-41, with 6:48 left, two Ware foul shots, followed by a Myers Keitt tip-in, pulled Monmouth within 60-45 with 5:40 remaining.
Monmouth, which outrebounded the Red Flash 38-31, connected on 34.5% from the field, and hit 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
SFU (3-13, 1-4 NEC) had four players in double-figures, led by Shannon's 15 points.
Monmouth (5-12, 1-4 NEC) returns to action on Saturday, when the Hawks travel to Robert Morris University for a Northeast Conference contest at 7:00 p.m., in the Sewall Center.
