SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Paced by
Jesse Steele's 22 points, the Monmouth University men's basketball team earned its second straight Northeast Conference road win, 78-68, at Bryant University on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks, who connected on 54.5% from the field, improve to 4-6 in the NEC.
Steele, who notched his sixth career 20-point game, added four assists and four rebounds, while both
Dion Nesmith and
Austin Tillotson contributed 11 points for the Hawks. Nesmith, who posted his fourth straight double-digit game, added six rebounds, while Tillotson went 5-for-5 from the floor, with three assists and three steals.
"I am excited that we were able to get the win today," stated head coach
King Rice. "We were able to get two straight road wins, which is great. Bryant made a huge push to get the win, but we were able to make the plays down the stretch. I am proud of the way this team continues to improve."
Monmouth's consecutive road wins in conference over the weekend marked the first time since January of 2006 that the Hawks won both games on a single road swing.
Bryant, which hit 25-of-29 from the free throw line, and only 18 field goal attempts, was led by Frankie Dobbs' game-high 23 points and six assists. Alex Francis chipped in 19 points for the Bulldogs, as the pair went a combined 17-for-19 from the charity stripe.
Monmouth's
Ed Waite posted the first two baskets for the Hawks to push MU ahead 4-2, while Nesmith's three-pointer gave the Blue and White a 9-6 edge with 16:54 left. The Bulldogs, who led 2-0, took a 12-11 lead following four straight points, but Steele recorded four straight for MU to give the Hawks a 15-12 lead at 13:55.
Bryant grabbed a 20-18 edge behind consecutive three-pointers from Corey Maynard and Dobbs, before Steele's three, followed by
Phill Wait's offensive putback, put MU ahead 23-20 at 9:48.
Marynard's trey knotted the game for a fifth time at 23-23, but the Hawks retaliated with a 12-0 run over 3:10, which included a pair of baskets from Tillotson, to take a 35-23 lead with 5:52 showing.
Monmouth, which held Bryant to no field goals over the final 9:23 of the half, inflated its lead to 13, 42-29, on Nesmith's second three-pointer with 1:25 remaining, and held a 44-33 edge at the intermission on Steele's jumper as time expired. Bryant, which went 10-for-10 from the free throw line during its field goal drought, climbed within 42-33 on a pair of Dobbs' foul shots with 8.0 seconds left.
The Bulldogs climbed within nine on three occasions in the first four minutes of the stanza, but Tillotson's foul line jumper put the Hawks ahead 53-40, and
Andrew Nicholas' drive gave MU a 55-43 advantage at 15:15.
Bryant answered with a 10-0 run over 4:34 to climb within 55-53 with 10:03 left, but the Hawks responded with seven straight points point two baskets from Nicholas and Steele's three-pointer from the top of the key, to coral a 62-53 edge with 8:00 left.
After Francis' trifecta made the tally 62-56, the Hawks went on a 6-2 spurt, capped by Steele's jumper in the lane, to snag a 68-58 advantage with 3:44 on the clock.
The Bulldogs scored six of the game's next eight points, including four from the foul line, to climb within 70-64 with 1:46 left.
After Tillotson drew a charge on Dobbs with 59 ticks left, Steele hit a pair of free throws that started an 8-4 run over the final minute in the win.
Monmouth (6-17 overall) returns to action on Thursday, February 2 when the Hawks host Sacred Heart University in NEC action, in the MAC at 7:00 p.m.
