WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University Men's Basketball led #18/21 College of Charleston at halftime, and got a career-high 16 points from freshman Andrew Ball in a strong effort Thursday night at the Ocean First Bank Center before ultimately falling, 69-55.
 
A back-and-forth opening minutes of the second saw Foster and Ball make consecutive buckets to put MU up 39-35. Charleston answered with four threes in a span of 2:29 but MU never gave in, cutting it to seven with 5:00 remaining when Jarvis Vaughan netted his first bucket of the season from the baseline. Charleston held off the Hawks down the stretch to win it 69-55.
 
Monmouth led for nearly the entirety of the opening half, taking a five-point lead at 14:13 after a Ball triple and a Myles Foster layup. Leading by one, Jack Collins nailed back-to-back triples, and a Klemen Vuga finish in the lane had MU up by its largest amount of nine. Charleston made two mini runs towards the end of the half, but Ball scored on a long two in the closing seconds and the Hawks got a stop going into the locker room, leading 31-28.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I'm happy that my kids battled. We're getting better. We have to keep working and we'll finish stronger than we started." – Head Coach King Rice
 
-Andrew Ball netted a career best 16 points.
-Jarvis Vaughan made his season debut, scoring his first basket at the 5:00 mark of the second half.
-Monmouth led 31-28 at the half.
-Jakari Spence dished out a career-best six assists.
-Klemen Vuga's three blocks marked a career best.
-MU posted a positive assist-turnover ratio for the third time this season.
-Myles Foster scored in doubles for the seventh game in a row.
-This marked the fourth ranked opponent to ever visit West Long Branch and first since 2012.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-MU held Charleston to 28.6% in the opening half.
-The Hawks were better off turnovers, 14-9.
-MU topped Charleston in the paint, 32-14.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth hosts Hampton Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on SNY.