WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.  – Four Hawks scored in double figures as the Monmouth University men's basketball team earned a Senior Day win over Elon, 73-57, on Saturday afternoon inside the OceanFirst Bank Center.

With the victory, the Hawks (16-14, 10-7 CAA) earn their 10th conference victory and kept pace in the race for a double bye at next week's CAA Tournament.

Jason Rivera-Torres led Monmouth with 17 points while Kavion McClain scored 16 on seven-for-10 shooting. Justin Ray made three from beyond the arc and finished with 13 points, while Stefanos Spartalis scored 10 points.

After a slow start offensively by both squads, the Hawks hit three pointers on three straight possessions and used an 11-0 spurt to take a 16-7 lead at the 11:41 mark of the first half. Powered by 10 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second-chance points in the first 13 minutes, the Hawks maintained a six-point edge, 26-20. The Hawks also assisted on six of its first eight makes from the floor.

McClain's turnaround jumper from the elbow, giving him seven points, helped Monmouth grow its lead to six, 28-22, with three and a half minutes left in the half, eventually leading to a 34-28 advantage after the opening 20 minutes.

Andrew Ball and Dok Muordar threw down ally-oops in the opening two minutes of the second half. McClain hit back-to-back jumpers, part of a 6-0 Monmouth run to extend the lead to double digits, 44-34, forcing an Elon timeout just over 4 minutes into the period.

McClain and Rivera-Torres hit threes on consecutive possessions as the Hawks scored 10 in a row after the Phoenix timeout to put Elon in a 54-36 hole. After the visitors got back within 12, Rivera-Torres sank a pair from beyond the arc and Ray connected on a turnaround in the paint, reestablishing the 20-point advantage, 66-46, with 6:11 to play.

Ray made another from deep, making the lead 19, and that was enough for the Hawks to cruise to a 73-57 win, as each of the Hawks' four graduating seniors received their own standing ovation as they checked out of the game for the final time in West Long Branch.

Notes

• Jason Rivera-Torres scored a team-best 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished five assists. It is the Bronx native's second straight game with at least six boards and four helpers.
• After scoring 17 in the second half against Stony Brook on Thursday, 11 of Rivera-Torres' points against Elon came in the second period.
• Kavion McClain had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Hawks.
• McClain has reached at least 14 points in six of his seven games this season. The senior has six rebounds in each of his last two games, his most in a game this season.
• Monmouth had 12 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points; 11 of the second-chance points came in the first half.
• Justin Ray scored 13 points, sinking a trio of three-pointers. It was Ray's first double-figure outing since scoring 15 against Towson on Feb. 15.
• Stefanos Spartalis reached double figures for the 15th time of his rookie campaign, scoring 10 points and grabbing six boards.
• The Monmouth defense held Elon to just 22 percent shooting from three and 41 percent from the floor
• The Hawks outrebounded the Phoenix, 36-26.
• Monmouth picked up its 10th home win of the season. It is the fifth time the Hawks have won at least 10 games at home under head coach King Rice.
• Monmouth's four seniors, Andrew Ball, Jack Collins, Kavion McClain and Dok Muordar, were honored in a pregame ceremony.

Up Next

• Monmouth will wrap up the regular season on Tuesday when it heads to Boston to take on Northeastern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on FloSports.