Final Score
Monmouth (1-0) – 96
Caldwell (0-1) – 68
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Powered by a 54-point first half, the Monmouth men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a convincing 96-68 victory over Caldwell on Tuesday evening inside the OceanFirst Bank Center.
 
The Hawks (1-0) utilized a 48-15 run in the opening 20 minutes to build a commanding lead and rode 16-point performances from Sefanos Spartalis and Justin Ray to their first victory of the year.
 
Monmouth dominated offensively throughout, scoring 46 points in the paint, hitting 49 percent of its shots and securing 18 offensive rebounds, resulting in 15 second-chance points. The Hawks were stout defensively, holding Caldwell to just 38 percent from the floor and outrebounding the Cougars, 56-30.
 
After falling behind 10-6 early, a pair of Andrew Ball dunks sparked a 14-2 spurt for Monmouth to go up 20-12, forcing a Caldwell timeout after a Jack Collins three-pointer in transition.
 
Another 13-0 explosion, highlighted by three strong finishes in the paint by O'Marion Harvey, put Monmouth up 17, 33-16, with just under seven minutes to play in the opening half. Collins took over from there, springing Spartalis loose on the fastbreak before finishing through contact on the ensuing Monmouth possession.
 
Less than a minute later, Collins picked the pocket of a Caldwell ball handler and scored in transition to open a 21-point advantage at the under-four break, 41-19. Monmouth continued to click on both ends of the floor, closing out the first half on a 13-6 stretch and going into the locker room up 54-25. Ray, who scored the team's last six points of the opening 20 minutes, led the Hawks with 11 first-half points.
 
The offensive explosion carried over to the second half, as Monmouth's lead swelled to 40 with an 11-0 run less than five minutes into the period after Ray's fourth three-pointer of the game, setting a new personal best. Up big, the Monmouth bench handled the final nine minutes, as Corey Miller, Lucas Orchard and Quinn Peters all entered their names in the scoresheet in the waning moments of an opening-night win.
 
Quotes
"I want to thank Caldwell for coming and playing this game. This is the first time in my 15 years that we've done something like this. We had a hard time filling out our schedule and Rick Callahan does an amazing job finding teams willing to come here and play us." – Head Coach King Rice
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"We came into the game really emphasizing defense. A couple of days ago, we spent an entire practice just focusing on defense because we weren't playing at the level that we know we can and should. I think we did a great job pressuring the ball – we got a lot of steals, easy buckets, and that got the fans involved. I'm really proud of the group." – Jack Collins
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"I just go out there and play confident. I know the work I put in this summer. Coach Rice instills that confidence in me, so I just have to go out there and do what I do." – Justin Ray
 
Notes
- The Hawks utilized a 48-15 run in the first half and led by as many as 40 in the second half.
- Monmouth's 54 first-half points match the team's best in a first half inside the OceanFirst Bank Center.
- Monmouth's bench produced 56 points.
- The Hawks' 56 rebounds are Monmouth's most in a game since grabbing 57 rebounds against Fairfield in 2017. It marks the first time the team has surpassed 50 boards since corralling 53 against Quinnipiac in 2021.
- Justin Ray set his new career high with 16 points and four three-pointers.
- Stefanos Spartalis reached double figures in his first-ever collegiate game, scoring a team-best 16 points, grabbing eight rebounds and hitting his first three-pointer.
- In his first game in a Monmouth uniform, junior Jason Rivera-Torres scored 13 points, the third-highest total of his career.
- Jack Collins kicked off his senior season with a nine-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist performance.
- Lucas Orchard matched his career best with four points.
- Andrew Ball scored nine points and corralled a game-high nine rebounds.
- The win was Monmouth's first season-opening victory since taking down Lehigh to begin the 2019-20 season.
- The 96 points the Hawks scored are the most in a season-opener since scoring 99 in a win over FIU to open the 2009-10 campaign.
 
Numbers Crunch
- Monmouth shot 49.3% from the floor to Caldwell's 38.1%.
- Monmouth outscored Caldwell, 25-10, off turnovers.
- The Hawks dominated the paint, outscoring the Cougars 52-18 inside.
- Monmouth had more second chance points, 15-8.
- MU was better on the break, 29-4.
- Monmouth's bench outscored Caldwell, 56-17.
- The Hawks led for 34:08, while the Cougars only led for 3:47 of game time.
 
Up Next
Monmouth takes its first road trip of the season to La Salle on Saturday, Nov. 8. The game will be broadcast at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.