WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Monmouth men's basketball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 76-62 victory over Lehigh on Saturday in the OceanFirst Bank Center.
 
Justin Ray led the Hawks (6-7, 0-0 CAA) with a 17-point effort, while Cornelius Robinson III added 15 and Jason Rivera-Torres had 11 points and eight rebounds, helping Monmouth snap its three-game skid.
 
Robinson and Ray combined for 12 early points as the Hawks jumped out to a 14-7 lead just over six minutes into the game. Lehigh (4-9, 0-0 Patriot) answered with six straight points to pull within one, 14-13, with 11:16 remaining in the first half.
 
Both teams traded baskets before Monmouth went on a 7-0 burst to open up a 23-17 lead, but the Mountain Hawks responded with three straight buckets, keeping within two, 27-25. With 2:07 on the clock, Anthony Martinez finished through contact and converted at the free throw line, sparking a 9-0 run over the last 2:45 of the half, giving the home team a 37-28 lead at the break.
 
The Hawks scored 22 points in the paint in the first half, shooting 59.3 percent overall over the opening 20 minutes.
 
Lehigh scored the first five points of the second half before Ray buried his second three-pointer of the game, becoming the first Hawk to reach double figures. Back-to-back buckets from Rivera-Torres and Ray opened up a 14-point edge, 51-37, with 14 minutes left in regulation.
 
Monmouth hit just one of its next 11 shots, but stout defense kept Lehigh to just eight points over that stretch, keeping the Hawks up 55-45 with nine minutes to go. Ray and Andrew Ball finished in the paint on consecutive possessions to extend the edge back to 14 at 59-45.
 
Corey Miller set his new career-best with his ninth point of the game and Ray canned another from deep with 4:17 to play, opening a 15-point edge, 70-55. Rivera-Torres got into double figures with a three-point play in the final two minutes, giving Monmouth its largest lead of the game, 75-57.
 
The Hawks held on down the stretch for the 76-62 victory.
 
Notes

• Justin Ray exploded for 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including three three-pointers. Sunday was the sophomore's fifth game this season with at least three connections from beyond the arc.
• Cornelius Robinson III added 15 points, scoring in double figures for the seventh time this season and the fifth game in a row.
• Jason Rivera-Torres scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists, scoring in double figures for the 11th time in 13 games this season. Rivera-Torres is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season.
• Rivera-Torres' five helpers on Sunday matched his season best, having also tallied five assists against Seton Hall.
• Corey Miller set his new career-best with nine points and 22 minutes on Sunday. 
• The Hawks shot 51.7 percent, their second-best field goal percentage in a game this season.
• Monmouth shot 59.3 percent in the first half, its third-highest percentage in the opening 20 minutes of a game this season (60.9 percent in two games).

 
Up Next
Monmouth will open conference play on New Year's Eve against Campbell at the OceanFirst Bank Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.