WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Paced by sophomore Marcus Ware's career-high 20 points, Monmouth battled Northeast Conference-leading Long Island before falling 74-69 to the Blackbirds on Saturday afternoon in the Multipurpose Activity Center.

Monmouth, which held the lead 10 times in the game, climbed within 60-57 on Jesse Steele's three-pointer with 35.2 seconds left, but the Blackbirds connected on four free throws, and forced a turnovers to coral a 74-67 edge with 7.4 remaining.

"In the last four-minute stretch I felt confident that we would play well, and we had four turnovers," commented head coach Dave Calloway. "Those four turnovers were the difference. The stats were even and I thought it was a very evenly played game today, but we just have to keep working."

The Hawks, who connected on 8-of-16 from the foul line, hit 42.9% from the field, as Ware added his first career 20-point outing, with six rebounds. Mike Myers Keitt added 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals, while R.J. Rutledge added 14 points on four first-half three-pointers.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Rutledge opened the scoring for the Hawks, while an offensive putback by Ware gave Monmouth a 9-3 edge with 17:07 left in the half. After Kyle Johnson's jumper pulled LIU within 12-11,  the two sides traded one-point leads over the next 3:36, until Johnson connected on a pair of free throws to give the Blackbirds a 19-16 lead with 8:31 left.

LIU extended its run to 6-0 to grab a 21-16 advantage, but consecutive Ware jumpers allowed the Hawks to climb within 21-20 with 7:39 showing. Following Julian Boyd's three-point play, Monmouth posted a 6-0 spurt of its own over the next two and half minutes, to retake a 26-24 lead, on Myers Keitt's transition trey.

The Blackbirds responded with the game's next seven, including five from Michael Culpo, to take a 31-26 edge, before Rutledge's third trifecta of the stanza made the tally 31-29 with 2:07 left. LIU grabbed a 33-29 advantage on a pair of Johnson foul shots, but consecutive three-pointers from Rutledge and Myers Keitt gave MU a 35-33 edge.

In a half that featured eight lead changes, Culpo's runner in the lane with 25 seconds remaining knotted the game at 35-35, which carried into the intermission.

The two squads traded two-point possessions over the first five minutes of the second stanza, until Jason Brickman's three-pointer gave the Blackbirds a 44-43 lead at 14:45.

LIU upped its advantage to 49-45 on Brickman's trey, but Monmouth retaliated with a Nick DelTufo hoop and a Myers Keitt three-point play, to coral a 50-49 advantage with 11:22 remaining.

After three free throws gave LIU to edge, 52-50, the Blackbirds tied their largest lead of five on Johnson's pull-up three-pointer with 9:02 on the clock.

LIU increased its run to 8-0 to haul in a 57-50 cushion on a pair of Boyd foul shots, but an old-fashioned three-point play at the 8:00 mark pulled Monmouth within 57-53.

On Kenny Onyechi's basket, the Blackbirds grabbed a 61-54 lead, but the Hawks climbed within 63-60 with 5:07 showing, following Phil Wait's offensive rebound and hoop.

Wait's post-up basket made the score 65-62 with 3:50 left, and the Hawks clawed to within 66-64 when Ware hauled in a loose ball and scored with 3:08 showing.

Leading by a pair, Onyechi's post move gave the Blackbirds a 68-64 advantage with 2:02 left.

LIU claimed a 70-64 edge on Boyd's two foul shots with 41.3 seconds remaining, but Jesse Steele drilled a three-pointer with 35.2 left to make the score 70-67.

Brickman's free throw gave LIU a four-point edge with 28.5 left, and after another empty trip for the Hawks, the Blackbirds took a 74-67 lead on three more free throws from Boyd.

Rutledge's drive with under a second remaining accounted for the final 74-69 tally.

"I think we are getting better defensively," added Calloway. "We made a couple of adjustments when we had the roster changes and we are getting better even if it isn't showing in the win and loss column. This team fights hard and doesn't ever quit, but we need to start getting wins, and maybe we will get some on the road."

Johnson's 14 points and eight rebounds led four Blackbirds in double-figures, as LIU (16-5, 8-2 NEC) connected on 19-of-25 free throw attempts. Garner and Onyechi added 11 points apiece, while Boyd chipped in a near double-double of 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Monmouth (6-16, 2-8 NEC) which has now played 14 of its 22 games within a five-point range, returns to action on Thursday, February 3 when the Hawks travel to Mount St. Mary's for a Northeast Conference game in Knott Arena.