For Immediate Release
November 13, 2025

Monmouth Falls to Seton Hall, 70-58
The Hawks led by seven at halftime and held the Pirates to 33.9 percent shooting.

Final Score
Monmouth (1-2, 0-0 CAA) – 58
Seton Hall (4-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) – 70

NEWARK – Despite holding a seven-point lead at the halftime break, the Monmouth men's basketball team dropped a 70-58 decision to Big East foe Seton Hall Thursday evening at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Both teams started strong on the defensive end, as two Jack Collins free throws put Monmouth up, 4-3, just over four minutes into the game. The Hawks maintained an early lead at the under-12 media timeout after Collins sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the visitors on top, 13-9.

After the Pirates responded with eight in a row, Monmouth put together an 8-0 run of its own, capped off by the second 3-pointer of Stefanos Spartalis' career. Up 21-17 with just under six minutes to play in the opening half, the teams traded 3-pointers before Monmouth scored seven unanswered to open a 31-22 lead. Spartalis finished through contact late in the half and made the free throw to put a cap on the half for the Hawks, sending them into the locker room up 34-27.

Monmouth's defense remained stout throughout the opening 20 minutes, holding the Pirates to 22.2 percent from the field.

Seton Hall opened the second half on a quick 7-0 spurt to tie the game at 34 with 18:27 to play. Jason Rivera-Torres hit a pair from the charity stripe to end the run and put Monmouth back in front, but the lead was short-lived as Seton Hall went ahead with a three on the ensuing possession.

Down by seven, Dok Muordar threw down a thunderous dunk to cut Monmouth's deficit to 42-38. A 9-5 stretch from the Pirates put the Hawks down eight with less than eight minutes to play, 51-43. The Pirates kept their foot on the gas, opening up an 18-point advantage before Rivera-Torres' 3-pointer ended the Monmouth drought. 

With the clock winding down, the Hawks made a small push but were unable to get closer than 12 as the Pirates closed out a 70-58 victory.

Quotes
"First, I want to thank Shaheen [Holloway] and Seton Hall for playing us again. I was proud of how we competed in the first half. Their pressure and physicality wore on us in the second, but that's what you expect on the road in a Big East building." – Head Coach King Rice

Notes

• Jack Collins poured in 11 first-half points on three 3-pointers. The senior finished with 13 points and five rebounds, marking the first time this season he reached double-digit points.
• Collins has at least five rebounds in all three games this season and is averaging 6.0 per game.
• Stefanos Spartalis poured in 16 points for the second time in three games and made his second 3-pointer of the season. The freshman also went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe against the Pirates.
• Spartalis grabbed six rebounds and is averaging 5.3 per game this season.
• Jason Rivera-Torres reached double figures for the third straight game to begin the season, scoring 10 points and adding a team-high eight rebounds and five assists on Thursday against the Pirates. The junior guard leads the team with 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
• Cornelius Robinson III added six points and six boards for the Hawks, both season bests.
• The Hawks held Seton Hall to 33.9 percent from the floor, its lowest opponent shooting percentage since holding North Carolina A&T to a 32.8 percent clip on Jan. 16, 2025.
• Monmouth has held all three of its opponents this season under 40 percent shooting.
• Monmouth's seven-point lead at halftime was its largest halftime lead in the program's 16 all-time games against the Pirates.

• Monmouth held Seton Hall to just 22.2 percent shooting in the first half.
• As a unit, the Hawks recorded shooting splits of 52.2 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the charity stripe over the opening 20 minutes.