Monmouth Defeats CCSU 65-50 at CBE Hall of Fame Classic

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Paced by three Hawks in double-figures, Monmouth University posted a 65-50 victory over Central Connecticut State on Saturday night in the MAC as part of the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic.

Monmouth vs. Central Connecticut (Taylor Jackson)

Justin Robinson (Lake Katrine, N.Y./Kingston), who dropped in 10 of his team-high 15 points in the first half, led the Hawks, as Monmouth climbed out of an early deficit and used runs of 15-0, 16-2, and 13-0 to run away from the Blue Devils for a 15-point victory to improve to 2-1.

"I am very impressed with my kids’ effort,” stated head coach King Rice. “We got off to a slow, slow start but they really stuck together. We are still a young team, so that can happen sometimes, but they showed a lot of character, a lot of fight, a lot of togetherness to go from 12 down to up 15-12, and then to carry from there on out. A great win for the Hawks and we are looking forward to tomorrow.”

Central, which opened 4-for-5 from the field, raced out to a 12-0 lead at 17:06, before the Hawks retaliated with a 15-0 run over a span of 7:37 to claim a 15-12 lead, which was highlighted by three-pointers from Deon Jones (Wilmington, Del./Sanford School) and Collin Stewart (Glenville, N.Y./Mekeel Christian Academy).

After the Blue Devils, who went scoreless for 10:12 of play, reclaimed a 17-15 edge with 6:30 remaining, Monmouth ended the half on a 16-6 run, which culminated in a 10-2 spurt over the final 2:10 of action, to take a 31-23 lead at the break, as Robinson’s seven points led the way.

Coach King Rice on the sidelines against Central Connecticut (Taylor Jackson)

CC opened the second half on a 10-4 run to climb within 35-33 with 15:44 left, but the Hawks answered with a 13-0 streak, highlighted by three-pointers from Robinson, Jones and Stewart to claim a 48-33 advantage with 11:31 showing.

An Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, Pa./Eastern York) trifecta pushed the Monmouth lead to 51-35 at 10:15, while the senior’s second make of the half from deep gave the Blue & White a 54-39 cushion with 8:13 on the clock.

The Blue Devils scraped to within 10, 58-48 with 2:49 left, but Chris Brady’s (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) first career three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:45 remaining guided the Hawks through the end.

Monmouth got a pair of 12-point outings from Jones, who also added six rebounds, and Nicholas, while Stewart dropped in eight for the Hawks. The Blue & White, which forced 18 turnovers, registered 15 assists on 25 made field goals, while connecting on 43.9% from the field, and a season-high nine made three-pointers.

Monmouth returns to action on Sunday, when the Hawks host Towson University on the final day of the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic in the MAC. Tip is set for 4:30 p.m., following Bethune-Cookman and CCSU at 2:00 p.m.