NEWARK, NJ – Taking on its second of three in-state opponents this season, Monmouth University Men's Basketball (5-5) was within one possession inside the final 5:23 but fell just short against Seton Hall University (6-4) Tuesday night at the Prudential Center, 70-61. Graduate guard Xander Rice led Monmouth with 20 points.
 
Monmouth immediately cut into the deficit to begin the second half, sparked by bench contributions from Gabe Spinelli and Amaan Sandhu. A Sandhu jumper followed a Cornelius Robinson Jr. bucket to get the Hawks within six at 14:01. Rice then knocked home two threes in 48 seconds, forcing a SHU timeout with the Hawks within three. A pair of Spinelli foul shots would get MU within two, and the Hawks were never down more than seven the rest of the way until the closing seconds. Two Rice foul shots at 5:20 made it a three-point game at 58-55, and MU trimmed it back to five several times but Seton Hall held on to win 70-61.
 
MU hit three early triples, the third of which from Rice gave MU a 10-6 lead. Seton Hall used a 21-2 run to lead by 15, an advantage that would reach 16 in the first half, but late threes from Collins and Jack Holmstrom plus a Jakari Spence banked-in jumper at the buzzer had MU within 11 at the break.

NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Tonight, I thought we gave them a good run. They got away from us a little bit in the first half because the physicality is real. They tried to make Xander and Jakari tired, it's high-level, Big East basketball and it took us out of our stuff for a little while. Credit to them. I thought my kids did an incredible job, I really did." – Head Coach King Rice
 
"I think we play with a chip on our shoulder and we play like we have something to prove, and I think that's what goes into that resiliency and that never quit type attitude that we play with." – Guard Xander Rice
 
-Xander Rice scored 20+ points for the seventh time in 10 games this season, and scored in double digits for the ninth time.
-Amaan Sandhu tied a career-high with eight points and topped his career best with three made field goals.
-Sandhu played a season-high 15 minutes.
-Gabe Spinelli matched his season best with six points.
-Jack Collins scored in double digits for the 22^nd time in his career.
-Rice set a career-high with five steals, matching the most by a Hawk in a game this season.
-Jack Collins' four steals was a season best.
-This marked the 15^th meeting ever between MU and Seton Hall.

NUMBERS CRUNCH


-MU was better from three, 36% to 25%.
-Monmouth had 12 steals to SHU's eight.
-The Hawks shot 36% from the field and from three.
-The teams combined for 55 bench points.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth hosts in-state foe Rider on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. That game will air on SNY and NBC Sports Philadelphia. Tickets are available by visiting MonmouthHawks.com/Tickets.