ORLANDO, FL – Monmouth University Men's Basketball (2-5) got the score within five multiple times in the closing minutes, but could not get all the way back, falling to Stetson University (3-3) in the MAAC-ASUN Challenge in Orlando Saturday, 63-55. Deion Hammond (Mitchellville, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) tied a season high for MU with 20 points.

The Hawks came out of the locker room with the first six points of the period and continued to work away at the halftime deficit, and got within eight when Hammond and George Papas (Jersey City, NJ/Union Catholic) hit threes on consecutive possessions with 5:20 to go, making it 49-41. After a Salnave triple, the Hawks send Hammond on the fast break to trim it to five and would get to that margin twice more but successful free throw shooting down the stretch secured the win for Stetson.

Papas knocked home a wing three at 11:51 to tie the game at eight, but Stetson used a 17-2 run to take a 25-10 lead. Mustapha Traore (Philadelphia, PA/The Phelps School) halted the run with consecutive baskets, but the Hatters netted the final six points of the period to take a 17-point edge into the locker room.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"Tough night for us. We weren't sharp, we have to prepare and I'm trying to teach our team this is an every-day thing. Every day, and in April we can look back and see what kind of year we had. We didn't prepare the right way mentally today and we looked like a team that didn't prepare mentally. When you don't prepare mentally, you can't beat teams in college basketball and that's what caught up to us today." – Head Coach King Rice

-Deion Hammond's 20 points ties for the most by a Hawk this season.
-It marks Hammond's fifth career game of 20+ points.
-Hammond led MU in scoring at the MAAC-ASUN event with 39 points in two games.
-Ray Salnave's 20 points put him in doubles for the sixth time in seven games.
-Monmouth finishes the MAAC-ASUN Challenge with a record of 1-1.
-The Hawks are now 3-2 all time at HP Fieldhouse in Orlando.
-Between the men and women, MAAC schools went 6-2 at this weekend's event.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-MU was outshot 48.8% to 38.9%.
-The Hawks topped Stetson in points off turnovers, 19-6.
-The Blue and White had 14 bench points to Stetson's four.
-Two Hatters scored over 20 points to lead all scorers.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth's home opener is up next on Tuesday, November 26 against Radford at 7:30 p.m.