SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Monmouth rode a 30-13 run in the second half to rally from an 11-point deficit and claim an 81-76 victory in overtime at Bryant University in Northeast Conference action, on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks, who had all eight players score, and five notch double-figures, were paced by Jesse Steele's 19 points and Marcus Ware's career-high 18 points.

Trailing 50-39 with 13:26 left in the contest, Monmouth answered with its 30-13 spurt to take a six-point lead, 69-63, with 38.4 seconds left. Trailing by six, Bryant hit three three-pointers in the final 26.8 seconds, including a game-tying trey with 5.5 ticks to force overtime.

In the overtime session, Monmouth fell behind 76-74, but Steele's fifth three-pointer put the Hawks ahead for good, 77-76, with 3:21 left, as MU rode four Ed Waite foul shots in the final 1:30 of action, to claim the 81-76 win.

For the first time on the season, Monmouth had five players in double-digits, including Mike Myers Keitt (14), Waite (13) and James Hett (10). Waite, who led all players with 12 rebounds, added his second career double-double for Monmouth, while Hett handed out six assists.

With the victory, Monmouth's first true road win of the season, the Hawks improve to 6-14 overall and 2-6 in the NEC. Bryant falls to 6-14, and 4-4 in the league.

Monmouth rode seven straight points from Ware out of the gate to take a quick 7-0 lead at 17:10, before Frankie Dobbs connected on a three-pointer for the Bulldogs to make the score 7-3, 18 seconds later.

With 15:17 remaining in the half, Monmouth doubled up Bryant, 12-6, on Myers Keitt's three-pointer from the wing, and the Hawks grabbed a 14-6 advantage on Steele's jumper with 13:16 showing.

After the Hawks corralled the eight-point lead, Bryant's Matthew Lee scored eight straight, including a pair of three-pointers, to pull the Bulldogs even at 14-14 with 10:15 remaining. Phil Wait's lay-in broke the tie, but Bryant received back-to-back treys from Cecil Gresham and Lee, to claim a 20-16 cushion, at 8:45.

Monmouth climbed within 20-19 on a Steele corner trifecta off a skip pass from Hett, and Steele's second straight three knotted the game at 22-22 with 7:25 remaining in the stanza.

On Lee's fourth trey of the half, Bryant retook a 25-22 lead, but baskets from Hett and Waite's offensive putback, put the Hawks back in front, 26-25, with 5:18 left.

Following Monmouth's third lead, Gresham connected on consecutive three-pointers, to start an 8-0 Bryant spurt, as the Bulldogs grabbed a 33-26 edge with 2:55 left until the break.

Hett answered with a three-pointer to halt the BU run, and start a 7-2 spurt for the Hawks, pulling MU within 35-33, but Gresham drilled a trey with 2.2 ticks on the board to give the Bulldogs a 38-33 cushion at the intermission.

Bryant opened the second half with an 8-2 run, as Monmouth only managed single free throws from Myers Keitt and Ware, to snare a 46-35 advantage with 15:29 remaining. Following a Waite free throw, Steele connected on a wing trey to make the score 46-39, with 13:5 left.

Following a four-point trip for the Bulldogs, two Ware free throws and R.J. Rutledge's corner trifecta pulled Monmouth within 50-44, but Lee hit another trey to put Bryant back in front 53-44 with 11:20 showing.

Out of a media timeout, Steele drained another trey to spark an 11-3 spurt, to make the score 56-55, with 6:26 left. After Nick DelTufo's lay-in made the tally 58-57, Gresham's three gave Bryant a 61-57 advantage with 5:14 showing.

Hett's drive to the hoop allowed MU to climb within 61-59, and a pair of Waite free throws following an offensive rebound, knotted the game at 61-61 with 4:03 remaining, capping a 17-8 Monmouth streak.

The Hawks upped their run to 20-8 when Myers Keitt drilled a trifecta from right in front of the bench, giving Monmouth a 64-61 lead with 2:35 left, its first lead since the 5:18 mark of the first half.

Monmouth extended its lead to 65-61 on a Myers Keitt free throw with 1:44 on the clock, and following a defensive stop, a pair of Waite foul shots pushed the Hawks in front 67-61, with 54.1 ticks on the board.

Bryant climbed within 67-63 on Corey Maynard's lay-in after an offensive rebound, but two Steele foul shots put Monmouth ahead 69-63 with 38.4 seconds left. The Bulldogs canned two three-pointers around a Hett free throw to pull within 70-69 with 18.8 seconds showing.

Out of a timeout, Myers Keitt was fouled and hit both free throws to reclaim a 72-69 edge, but Raphael Jordan drilled a corner three-pointer with 5.5 seconds left to tie the score at 72-72, while Hett's game-winning attempt fell off the rim as time expired.

After the Hawks grabbed a quick two-point edge in the extra session on Ware's lay-up, the Bulldogs scored four straight to claim a 76-74 lead. Steele answered with his fifth three-pointer to give Monmouth a 77-76 lead with 3:21 remaining.

Following an offensive rebound Waite pushed the Hawks in front 79-76 on two foul shots with 1:30 left.

After another defensive stop for the Hawks, Monmouth called timeout with 20.3 seconds showing, and nine left of the shot clock. Out of the break, MU rebounded its own miss, and called another timeout with 7.0 seconds left.

Waite, with 6.2 on the clock, drilled two more free throws to give the Hawks an 81-76 advantage.

Monmouth, which was 24-for-31 from the foul line throughout the game, connected on 21-of-27 in the second half and overtime sessions to complete the comeback victory. The duo of Ware and Waite combined to go 17-for-20 from the line.

Bryant, which hit 10 three-pointers in the opening half, connected on a school-record 17 treys in the game. Lee and Gresham each netted 26 points, combining for 13 made three-pointers.

Monmouth returns to action on Thursday, January 27, when the Hawks St. Francis in a Northeast Conference contest at 7:45 p.m., in the MAC.