GREENSBORO, NC– Tahron Allen posted a career-best 23 points and nine rebounds to lead a strong group effort from Monmouth University Men's Basketball Saturday, as the Hawks toppled North Carolina A&T University 79-64 to earn the program's first-ever win as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
The long ball was falling early in the second half for MU, as Allen, Collins and Jack Holmstrom all made threes to give Monmouth an 18-point lead. The Hawks withstood the Aggies 10-0 push to cut it to seven and immediately extended it back to 13, helped by Jakari Spence scoring four in a row including a pull up in transition. The Hawks lead wouldn't be below double digits again, as Monmouth went 14-17 from the foul line in the second half.
 
Monmouth's dominating effort began in the first half, with the Hawks jumping to leads of 6-1 and 11-3 before the home team took its first lead, a brief one at 12:20 of the period. MU continued to apply pressure, and a one possession lead ballooned to 10 with a 9-0 run inside the final five minutes capped by a Jack Collins near corner triple. Collins would knock home another three late in the half to send MU in with a 37-29 advantage.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES

"Today, our kids believed in each other, they stayed together and they played with the same amount of fire as we did at Wilmington and everybody just kept doing it over and over. When you haven't gotten the result you want in a while, it's hard to keep doing it but today they were amaing. There are so many guys you can give a game ball to." – Head Coach King Rice.
 
"Jakari Spence controlled the game, he got everybody involved, he played incredible defense. We all needed a win but especially the kids and its just a great feeling." – Rice on Spence and his team
 
"This one feels great, we played team basketball and got everyone involved in the game. We found offense through our defense so we defended hard and it led to offense and everybody trusted in that. One guy gets a bucket, the next guy gets a bucket, we're all happy for each other and that was a key." – Guard Tahron Allen


-The win marks Monmouth's first ever as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
-MU scored a season-high 79 points.
-Tahron Allen posted career highs in points with 23, rebounds with nine and field goals made with eight.
-Allen's 23 points are the most by a Hawk in a single game this season.
-Jakari Spence posted career bests in points with 14, his first career game in double figures, as well as assists with seven and rebounds with five.
-Spence was a perfect 8-8 from the foul line, the most makes without a miss from the stripe for a Hawk this season.
-Spence's seven assists is the most by a Hawk in a single game this year.
-Jack Collins scored in doubles for the 10^th time this season, and hit four threes for the third time.
-Klemen Vuga scored in double figures for the second game in a row, finishing one off a career-best with 14 points.
-Vuga tied a career-mark with three blocks.
-Monmouth is now 2-0 all time against North Carolina A&T, and completed its first trip to Greensboro today.
-Myles Foster tied a career-high with three steals.
-The Hawks shot 52.8% from the field, a season best.
-MU was 54.5% from beyond the arc, also a season high.
-Monmouth tied a season best with 17 made free throws.
-The Hawks 42-point second half is the second highest scoring half of the season.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-The Hawks outshot the Aggies 52.8% to 37%.
-MU limited North Carolina A&T to 24.1% from deep.
-Monmouth dominated the glass, 37-28.
-The Blue and White led for 36:05 of the 40 minutes, and did not trail from the 12:20 mark of the first half on.
-MU dominated the paint, 36-18.
 
 
UP NEXT
-Monmouth returns home to host Delaware on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.