West Long Branch, NJ – Abdi Bashir Jr. broke the program record for made three-pointers in a season as Monmouth University Men's Basketball made key plays late and beat Northeastern University in a thriller Monday night, 78-73. Bashir finished with 30 points and five threes as the Hawks won their sixth in the last eight games.
 
A back-and-forth second half saw neither team lead by more than six points, and with Northeastern up one with under six minutes to go, Cornelius Robinson III scored seven in a row to make it 70-65 Monmouth, a lead the Blue and White would not relinquish. The Huskies got it to one, but Bashir's eighth three pushed it back to four. Several defensive stops down the stretch secured the sixth win in the last eight games for MU.
 
Monmouth broke a 9-9 tie with an 11-0 run that included three straight baskets from Robinson to lead 20-9, but Northeastern answered with an 18-6 push of their own to take a two-point lead. Robinson came right back to scored five of MU's next eight on an 8-0 run, and the Hawks took a six-point lead into the locker room. Bashir's three at 4:36 set the program record for made threes in a season with 104.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES

"I think Coach [Bill] Coen is one of the best coaches in our league, I respect him so, so much. We're a team that's playing better after a tough deal with three on the road and we're surviving it with two to go and we're in a good spot. We just want to be playing well when we get to the tournament and I think we're doing that." – Head Coach King Rice

"Coach Rice tells me all the time to be ready when I catch to shoot it and I was doing that today, I shot a lot more catch and shoots instead of off the dribble. I got my rhythm going… it went my way tonight." – Abdi Bashir Jr.
 
"Our fans are incredible. Our school has done an awesome job of getting the students excited about coming to games, not just men's basketball but women's basketball. The way these kids have embraced it and the fans have embraced us, it just puts a big smile on your face. I know at the four-minute mark there was a timeout and it was so loud and I said 'look at this here, this is pretty cool'." – Rice on the fans tonight
 
-Abdi Bashir set the program record for single-season made threes with his 104^th made triple at 4:36 of the opening half, breaking George Papas' (2021-22) record of 103.
-Bashir posted his fifth 30-point game of the season, tying the program record for 30-point games in a season (Xander Rice – 2023-24, Corey Albano – 1996-97, Rich pass – 1984-85).
-Monmouth has won six of its last eight and clinched at least a .500 CAA record for the second straight year.
-The Hawks clinched the season series in its only game against Northeastern this season.
-Bashir posted the eighth game of eight or more threes in program history, and is the only player in Monmouth history with three such games.
-The win was the 599^th Division I win in school history.
-Monmouth's +18 in rebounding was the Hawks best since a +29 against Lehigh on November 13, 2017.
-Robinson finished two points shy of his career-best, and his seven field goals was one off a career-best.
-Monmouth has won 20 of its last 22 at home.
­-Jack Collins played all 40 minutes for the third time this season, He is the only player with multiple games playing all 40 minutes under King Rice.
-Monmouth had a player go on a personal 7-0 run late in the second half to give the Hawks the lead for good for the second game in a row, with Andrew Ball doing so at Hofstra and Robinson doing it tonight.
-Collins moved into the top-10 in program history in total rebounds with 520.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth dominated the glass, 41-23.
-The Hawks outshot Northeastern, 47% to 43%.
-MU was better from three, 48% to 38%.
-The game featured four ties and 16 lead changes.
-MU won the battle of second-chance points, 14-9.
-The Hawks led for 32:32 of the 40 minutes.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth hosts Elon for Senior Night on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. That game will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, and tickets are available at MonmouthHawks.com/Tickets.