WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Xander Rice had 16 points and Jack Collins added a career-best 12 rebounds, but Monmouth University Men's Basketball was defeated in its home opener Saturday, 82-57 by Princeton University.
 
After trailing by 16 early in the half, Cornelius Robinson Jr. got to the rim and trimmed it down to eight. Another freshman contributed a few possessions later, when Abdi Bashir Jr. netted a pull-up three to make it 56-48. Princeton used an 18-4 run to widen the lead, eventually winning by the 25-point margin.
 
Monmouth led by as many as five in the first half, and only trailed for 29 seconds in the first 10:55 of the game. MU got baskets in the first 11 minutes from eight different players, but Princeton closed the half on a 21-5 run to take an 11-point lead into the locker room.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I thought we played well for 13 minutes. We were up two and we lost our discliplne, and we can't do that against that team. We talked about being more solid than them and for a while we were. They got a little lead and we started gambling and I didn't want that today. All the praise to Princeton, we have work to do but credit to them." – Head Coach King Rice
 
-Jack Collins grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds.
-Xander Rice led MU with 16 points, his third straight game in double figures to open the season.
-Cornelius Robinson scored a career-high nine points, including a soaring dunk in the second half.
-Gabe Spinelli scored his first career points.
-Quinn Peters knocked in a three pointer, his first career points.
-Peters, Braedan Allen, Jack Leahy and Corey Miller all made their Monmouth debuts.

NUMBERS CRUNCH


-MU was better off the bench, 28-12.
-Monmouth had five blocks to Princeton's two.
-MU assisted on 10 of its 20 baskets.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth hosts Lehigh on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia.