LORETTO, Pa. –Monmouth University dropped its sixth straight Northeast Conference opener in a 71-49 loss at Saint Francis University on Thursday night in DeGol Arena. The Hawks, who were led offensively by Dion Nesmith, Andrew Nicholas and Mike Myers Keitt, who each had nine points, fell to 0-7 overall on the young season, following their seventh straight road game.

Behind four straight free throws, the Red Flash grabbed an 8-2 lead with 15:28 showing before a Nesmith corner three-pointer, and Nicholas' foul line jumper pulled Monmouth within 8-7 with 14:29 left in the half. Leading by a point, SFU put together an 8-0 spurt in under two minutes of action, to grab a 16-7 edge.

The Red Flash pushed the lead to 23-12 on Anthony Ervin's second straight hoop with 9:18 on the clock, and four straight points from Ervin put SFU in front 29-14 with 6:40 showing.

Highlighted by Phill Wait's short jumper, a Jesse Steele corner trey and Max DiLeo's drive to the basket, the Hawks climbed within 30-21 at 2:49, and within 32-23 on Ed Waite's basket with 1:55 showing.

SFU, behind Ollie Jackson's second three-pointer and Ervin's layup off an MU turnover as time expired, put the Red Flash in front 37-23 at the intermission.

The two sides traded baskets out of the break, until SFU hauled in an 18-point advantage with 17:22 left on a pair of Jon Taylor free throws, following a Chris Johnson lay-in.

Consecutive Nesmith baskets in the lane pulled the Hawks within 45-31 at the 17:00 mark, but the Red Flash responded with a 10-4 run, capped by back-to-back trifectas, to boost the lead to 55-35 at 11:20.

After Myers Keitt's three-pointer halted the SFU run, making the score 55-38 with 11:00 showing, the Red Flash scored the next five points to haul in a 60-38 advantage with 9:50 remaining.

The Hawks ended a 3:11 scoreless streak on Nicholas' corner three-pointer with 7:49 on the board, but Taylor's five straight points gave SFU a 65-41 cushion with 4:13 left.

A pair of lay-ups from Austin Tillotson made the tally 68-47 with 1:52 on the clock.

"Our team has to understand we have to be more together," stated head coach King Rice. "We have to try harder for longer stretches, and until we do that, we will not get better."

The Hawks hit 36.5% from the field (19-52), including 4-of-20 from beyond the arc, while also being outrebounded 33-23.

Scott Eatherton led all scorers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Ervin added 13 points, and Johnson chipped in 11 points and eight assists, as SFU hit 60.5% (26-43) from the floor.

Monmouth returns to NEC action on Saturday, December 3 when the Hawks travel to Robert Morris for a 7:00 p.m. contest in the Sewall Center.