WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.  – The Monmouth University men's basketball team fell to Hofstra, 73-57, on Saturday afternoon.

After falling behind by 16 early on, the Hawks (11-12, 5-5 CAA) rallied late in the first half and trailed by just four at the half before the Pride stormed back out of the locker room, holding Monmouth to just 34 percent shooting in the second half and pulling away for the victory.

Hofstra started the game 6-for-8 from the field and led 16-5 after 5:30. Monmouth made just two of its first 18 shots and found itself down 16, 24-8. The Hawks went on a 13-3 run, sparked by bookend baskets from Justin Ray, to get back within six. Monmouth got back within four on the back of a 6-0 run to close the first half, going into the intermission down 37-33. Justin Ray led the Hawks with 12 first-half points, while the team forced Hofstra into 12 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The Pride extended its lead back to 16 midway through the second half, as Monmouth went through a 1-for-7 drought. The lead grew to as many as 17, as the Hawks were unable to mount a comeback, eventually seeing their two-game win streak get snapped.

Notes

• Justin Ray led Monmouth with 15 points, scoring in double figures for the 12th time this season.
• Cornelius Robinson III had a 14-point performance, reaching double figures for the third straight game. Robinson shot 7-of-13 and grabbed three rebounds.
• Andrew Ball added 10 points off the bench and grabbed four rebounds. Ball has reached double digits in seven of his last nine games.
• Jason Rivera-Torres grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. He has at least seven boards in 14 games this season.
• Monmouth forced 19 Hofstra turnovers while only giving the ball away six times.
• The Hawks made eight of 11 shots from the free-throw line
• Monmouth falls to 0-2 this season against Hofstra

Up Next

• Monmouth heads to Stony Brook on Thursday, Feb. 5 for a 7 p.m. game.