Men's Basketball December 23, 2015 Monmouth Sports Information

JUSTIN ROBINSON'S 26 POINTS LEAD HAWKS TO 78-69 WIN AT CORNELL WEDNESDAY

ITHACA, NY – Junior guard Justin Robinson (Lake Katrine, NY/Kingston) scored 26 points and Deon Jones (Wilmington, DE/Sanford School [Towson]) scored his second double-double in three games as the Monmouth men's basketball team defeated Cornell at Newman Arena on Wednesday night, 78-69. The Hawks worked back from 13-point deficit in the opening half and outscored Cornell by six in the second to improve to 9-3 while Cornell falls to 5-6. The win marks Monmouth's eighth out-of-conference win, the most since 1991.

“I'm so excited that out guys stuck together and continued to fight and grind on defense,” said head coach King Rice. “Lots of credit goes to Josh James and Austin Tilghman for bringing the defensive intensity.”

Monmouth led by as many as 14 in the second half, but Cornell trailed by as little as two with 6:26 to go after Robert Hatter drove through the center of the lane. On the ensuing trip, Austin Tilghman (Wilmington, DE/Archbishop Carroll [PA]) drove inside and was fouled to extend the lead to five on the three-point play. Robinson then kept one on the fast break for an easy basket, extending the Monmouth lead to eight with 5:17 remaining. Hatter trimmed it back to six with 3:55 left but Josh James (Greenburgh, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) used fancy footwork inside to score and Je'lon Hornbeak (Arlington, TX/Grace Prep [Oklahoma]) used a wide open right baseline to draw contact, pushing one up-and-in with the foul. Monmouth converted six foul shots after that point to ice the 78-69 road win.

Monmouth came out of the locker room and immediately picked up a seven-point lead, doing so when Robinson broke down the left side and lobbed a perfect feed for Hornbeak, who flushed one with 18:25 to play. Cornell answered right back with a 7-0 spurt, getting a long two to fall from David Onuorah and a triple from Hatter to tie the game at 16:41. The Hawks countered with an 11-2 push, getting a Collin Stewart (Glenville, NY/Mekeel Christian Academy) right baseline dunk over a Cornell defender and a Robinson three in the process. Monmouth never trailed after the 16:45 mark.

Cornell jumped out to a 13-point lead at 23-10, doing so on three JoJo Fallas long balls. With 10:01 remaining in the first half, Robinson and James subbed back in and the former connected from deep on the next inbounds before Tilghman registered a steal and converted on the offensive end just 27 seconds after. Robinson cut the lead to seven with another trey before Fallas hit his fourth to knock it back to a 10-point Big Red advantage.

Out of the under-eight media timeout in the first half with MU down eight, the Hawks forced a shot clock violation and turned it into a Jones long jumper to trim the deficit to six. Robinson ran the floor off a miss to convert, and Jones canned one from 15 feet away to put the Hawks down one. A Robinson dribble drive at 4:10 tied the game at 29, and Monmouth ended the half on an 8-0 run to go up three at the break. That stretch was highlighted by two late baskets from Robinson and Jones.

Jones registered his third double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Robinson scored 20+ for the seventh time, netting 26 with five assists and four rebounds. James and Tilghman had nine points apiece, while Chris Brady (Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields) put home six points and seven rebounds. The Hawks shot 42.3% from the field and outrebounded Cornell 50-35. MU dominated the fast break to the tune of 18-0, bested the Big Red in points in the paint 50-12, and outscored Cornell's bench 22-13.

Hatter netted 27 points for Cornell, and Fallas added 17 for the Big Red. The home team shot 38.6% on the night.

Monmouth is back on the floor on Monday, December 28 at 4:00 p.m. at Army West Point.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Deon Jones: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#30 Collin Stewart: G; 6' 7"; Freshman

#43 Chris Brady: C; 6' 10"; Freshman

#0 Josh James: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

#12 Justin Robinson: G; 5' 8"; Freshman

#23 Austin Tilghman: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#11 Je'lon Hornbeak: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#5 Deon Jones
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#30 Collin Stewart
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: G

#43 Chris Brady
: 6' 10"; Freshman
: C

#0 Josh James
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

#12 Justin Robinson
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G

#23 Austin Tilghman
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#11 Je'lon Hornbeak
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G