EASTON, Pa. – Jason Rivera-Torres set a new season best with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the Monmouth men's basketball team fell to Le Moyne, 83-79, in the second game of the Lafayette Classic on Saturday.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair at the Kirby Sports Center, featuring 10 ties and 12 lead changes before the Dolphins earned the final edge in the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
 
Down 9-4 early, Collins made his first three-pointer of the afternoon, his fourth connection from deep in the last two days. The Dolphins answered with a three of their own on the ensuing possession to take a 12-7 advantage after five minutes of play.
 
Collins hit a pair of threes in the two minutes coming out of the first media timeout to bring the Hawks within two, 15-13, but Le Moyne stayed hot from deep to start, hitting their third and fourth trey of the opening 10 minutes to go up eight. An 11-0 Monmouth run, highlighted by seven points from Stefanos Spartalis, put the Hawks on top for the first time, 27-23, forcing a Dolphin timeout.
 
Le Moyne rattled off five straight to reclaim the lead, 28-27, at the 4:26 mark. The teams traded baskets over the final minutes of the opening half, going into the locker rooms with Monmouth up by one, 37-36.
 
The Hawks extended their lead to five early in the second half, but three-straight three-pointers put the Dolphins in front, 47-43. The Hawks went on a 10-6 run, capped by a pair of Andrew Ball dunks to tie the game at 53. Trailing by four, Justin Ray scored five straight to give the Hawks the lead back with 7:33 left in regulation.
 
Tied at 65 with under six minutes left, Le Moyne hit a three from the corner to go back on top, and the Hawks answered with a Rivera-Torres tip-in. Rivera-Torres scored again to tie the game after a Dolphin free throw, but a layup on the next possession gave Le Moyne a two-point edge, 71-69, with 3:33 on the clock.
 
Rivera-Torres scored from inside the paint to knot it at 71 on the Hawks' next possession, the 10th time in the game the score was tied. With 2:18 on the clock, the Dolphins hit their ninth three of the contest to go back up three, prompting a timeout from head coach King Rice.
 
Ball's two-handed slam out of the break brought Monmouth within one, but Le Moyne responded with a layup of its own to push it back to three. The Dolphins got back-to-back defensive stops and made a free throw with 33 seconds left to extend the lead to four, but Rivera-Torres kept the Hawks alive with a pair from the charity stripe to cut the deficit to 77-75. With Monmouth forced to foul, Le Moyne closed out the game at the free throw line, putting the finishing touches on an 83-79 victory.
 
Notes

• Jason Rivera-Torres scored 21 points, his most in a game this season, and matched his season high with 11 rebounds. It was the second time this year Rivera-Torres eclipsed 20 points and his fifth game in double figures.
• Rivera-Torres is tied for the team lead in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game and leads the Hawks with 8.7 rebounds per game.
• Cornelius Robinson III scored a season-high 14 points, reaching double figures for the second time in the last three games.
• Stefanos Spartalis scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, recording his first-career double-double. The freshman scored at least 10 points for the fifth time this season.
• Jack Collins scored nine points on three first-half three-pointers, giving him six long balls over the last two days.
• Monmouth outrebounded Le Moyne, 36-32

 
Up Next
Monmouth will wrap up the Lafayette Classic tomorrow afternoon, facing host Lafayette. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.