WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The No. 4 Monmouth University men's basketball team fell short in the CAA title game, falling to No. 3 Hofstra University, 75-69, on Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C.

Jason Rivera-Torres and Kavion McClain were named to the CAA All-Tournament Team after strong performances across the three day stretch. 

The back-and-forth affair featured three lead changes and four ties before the Pride was able to pull away in the final minutes, earning the Coastal's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

McClain had a team-best 19 points against Hofstra to go along with six assists for the Hawks. Rivera-Torres and Stefanos Spartalis each added 16 points while Spartalis grabbed 11 rebounds to secure a double-double. Justin Ray hit three three-pointers and finished with 11 points for Monmouth.

The Hawks came out of the gate quickly, scoring the game's first six points, forcing a quick timeout from the Pride. Spartalis paced Monmouth early, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds in the opening 8 minutes, as the Hawks built a 15-9 advantage. Hofstra stormed back, making five of six shots to take its first lead of the evening, 24-23, with 7:32 to play in the opening period. 

After the Pride went up five, 29-24, the Hawks scored four points in a row to get back within one. Monmouth scored eight points in the paint, capped by a dunk by Spartalis in the final minute, entering the halftime break down three, 35-32. Spartalis had 12 points and seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

McClain hit a trio of threes in the opening minutes of the second half, helping Monmouth regain a six-point lead, 45-39, forcing Hofstra into another early timeout. The Pride responded with a 12-2 run to go back up four, 51-47, with 13 minutes left. The Hawks went scoreless for 2:33, finding themselves in a 58-51 hole with just under nine minutes to play. Rivera-Torres and Spartalis made baskets to get Monmouth back within three, 61-58, with 5:19 to play.

Down 64-58 with 3:26 to play, Rivera-Torres hit a pull up jumper and a pair from the charity stripe to make it a two-point game, but the Pride answered with a basket on the other end. 

Ray found the bottom of the net from distance, cutting it to one, but Hofstra scored five in a row to go up six with 14 seconds to go. McClain hit a three-pointer and knocked down the ensuing free throw with nine seconds to go before Hofstra made four free throws to close out a 75-69 win.

Notes

• Kavion McClain scored a team-best 19 points on six-of-12 shooting. He reached double figures in all but one of his 11 games this season.
• Stefanos Spartalis scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, securing his third double-double of the season. The freshman scored at least 10 points in all three games of the CAA Tournament.
• Jason Rivera-Torres wrapped up his first season in West Long Branch with a 16-point, six-rebound performance. Rivera-Torres has double figures in each of his last seven games
• Justin Ray scored 11 points and hit three three-pointers.
• Jack Collins finishes his Monmouth career with 127 starts, second most in program history.
• This was King Rice's fourth appearance in the conference championship game, having reached the MAAC finals in 2016, 2019 and 2021.