NEW HAVEN, CT – Austin TIlghman (Wilmington, DE/Archbishop Carroll) posted the second triple-double in Monmouth Basketball history with an impressive stat line of 11 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists as MU routed Yale on Friday night, 85-64. He led four Hawks in double figures as the Blue and White won its final non-conference game of the season.
Louie Pillari (Tinton Falls, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) led the Hawks in scoring with a career-best 23 points.
Leading by 15 at the half, Monmouth immediately widened its lead to 25 by opening the period on a 12-2 run, capped by
Deion Hammond (Mitchellville, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) hitting a three at 17:27. Yale worked to get it to a 16-point deficit, but a quick 7-0 burst from the Hawks kept the Bulldogs at an arms length. The Bulldogs again got it to 13 but MU held off Yale in the final minutes to secure the 21-point win.
Monmouth closed the opening period on a 20-5 run, a stretch of 6:47 that included a 10-0 run. Tilghman scored four straight points before Pillari leaked out in transition to hammer a dunk, part of the 10-point MU push that prompted a Yale timeout.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"We've gotten better over the last 10 days and guys have really worked harder at being better teammates, being there for each other and not caring who gets the shots. I thought our group showed tonight that when we play like a team, we're a problem. It was great to see." –
King Rice
"Austin's a winner. He could have been a starter a long time ago. Austin's our guy and I told the team that we're going to ride with him. I'm happy for him." –
King Rice
"This is huge. I want to get a lot of assists every game. That's one thing I talked to my team about before the season, I don't care about scoring, I want to get a lot of assists. Today was an all-around game, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding, and getting the bigs involved." –
Austin Tilghman
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Austin Tilghman recorded the second triple-double in Monmouth history, and the first ever by a guard. It was the first since February 3, 2007 when John Bunch recorded 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks at Boylan Gym against St. Francis NY.
-Tilghman's 15 assists are the second most in a game in Monmouth history, behind Derric Thomas' 17 in 1986 against LIU Brooklyn.
-Tilghman's 14 rebounds are a career-high, and the most by a Hawk this season. It is the most rebounds in a single-game for a Hawk since
Diago Quinn's 16 vs. Niagara in the 2015-16 regular season finale.
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Louie Pillari scored a career-high 23 points on career-bests of nine field goals and five triples.
-Pillari was the third Hawk to hit five threes in a game this season.
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Mustapha Traore recorded his first career double-double, and collected a career-high 10 rebounds.
-The 10-point effort was the second double-digit game of Traore's career.
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Deion Hammond scored in double figures with 15 points for the seventh time this season.
-The game was the first ever between Monmouth and Yale, and the third Ivy League opponent the Hawks played this season.
-The Hawks conclude non-conference play with a 4-8 record.
-Monmouth started a lineup of
Austin Tilghman,
Deion Hammond,
Louie Pillari,
Mustapha Traore, and
Diago Quinn for the second time this season, also doing so vs. Penn at home.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth has now outscored its opponent off the bench in all but one game this season.
-The Hawks limited Yale to 38.2% from the field and 25.9% from deep.
-Monmouth closed the first half on a 20-5 run.
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Louie Pillari netted 14 first half points.
-MU was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the first half.
-Monmouth shot a season best 94.4% from the free throw line (17-18), and did not miss a foul shot until there were 25 seconds left.
UP NEXT
-Monmouth opens MAAC play on December 28
th at Quinnipiac at 7:30 p.m.
