FAIRFAX, Va. – Monmouth University fell to the University at Albany in the first game of the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Bracket, 85-49, on Monday evening at the Patriot Center. The Hawks, now 0-4, hit 34.7% from the field in the defeat, and were led on the scoreboard by senior
Will Campbell's nine points off the bench, and
Ed Waite's eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Hawks grabbed an early 4-0 lead after fast break lay-ups from Waite and
Mike Myers Keitt, but UAlbany's Gerardo Suero scored five straight to put the Danes on top 5-4 at 17:22. Following consecutive baskets from Myers Keitt and Waite again, Albany put together an 11-0 run over the next 3:14 of play, highlighted by three straight three-pointers, to take a 16-8 edge with 12:46 showing.
Monmouth stopped the Danes' run on Campbell's wing trey with 12:15 on the clock, trimming the deficit to 16-11, while halting a 3:45 scoreless stretch for the Hawks. Following Campbell's drive that pulled MU within 16-13, Ralph Watts' third trifecta gave Albany a 19-13 advantage with 11:14 on the board.
The two sides traded baskets over the next four-plus minutes of action until Jayson Guerrier's three-pointer with 6:10 remaining gave Albany a 26-17 lead, while his drive put the Great Danes in front 30-19 with 3:57 showing.
Following a Phil Wait free throw, Albany responded with a 10-0 spurt to push the lead to 36-20 with 1:53 remaining, before a Myers Keitt drive and
Dion Nesmith's trey made the tally 36-25 with 33 ticks showing. Albany corralled a 38-25 lead at the break on Luke Devlin's tip-in as the horn sounded for the intermission.
The Hawks started the second half on a 6-1 spurt to pull within 39-31 on a Nesmith lay-up, but Albany responded with a 13-2 run of its own to haul in a 52-33 advantage with 12:52 showing.
Albany extended its advantage to 63-38 on Guerrier's second three-pointer of the half, and pushed its lead to 69-39 after back-to-back trifectas from Jacob Iati and Mike Black, with 7:50 left.
Guerrier's three-pointer pushed the Great Danes ahead 74-40 with 6:08 remaining, before
Jesse Steele's three made the tally 76-45 at 4:16.
Monmouth, behind a pair of free throws each from
Austin Tillotson and
Daniel James, made the score 80-49 with 2:01 on the board.
The Hawks connected on 3-of-13 from beyond the arc, and just 48.0% (12-25) from the free throw line in the loss, while Albany hit 52.0% overall and 13-of-31 three-point attempts.
Guerrier led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-10 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, to go along with 10 rebounds.
Monmouth returns to action on Tuesday, when the Hawks face Brown in the final game of the 2011 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at 5:00 p.m. in the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University.
