WEST POINT, NY – Junior guard Justin Robinson (Lake Katrine, NY/Kingston) scored 23 points but Army West Point got 27 points from Tanner Plomb and defeated the Monmouth men’s basketball team 91-84 at Christl Arena Monday afternoon. MU wraps up non-conference play 9-4, 8-3 out of league while Army finishes up the non-league slate 9-3.

Monmouth trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but trimmed the lead to three with 1:13 to go when Josh James (Greenburgh, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) collected a weak-side rebound and put it in to make the score 87-84 Army. Tanner Plomb rose to hit from the baseline to push Army’s lead back to four, and later knocked in a pair from the line to seal the 91-84 win for the Black Knights.

Plomb dunked in transition with 3:49 left to make it an 11-point lead before MU cut in, getting free throws from both Micah Seaborn (Fort Worth, TX/Prime Prep Academy) and Je’lon Hornbeak (Arlington, TX/Grace Prep [Oklahoma]) before a Hornbeak layup cut it to five with 1:57 to go. MU had a chance to cut it to three after Hornbeak stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but couldn’t convert.

Army led by eight early in the second half, getting a Plomb dunk to go up 54-46 with 18:53. Monmouth responded with a 12-2 run to take a 58-56 lead, getting 10 straight points from Robinson including a three ball and an old-fashioned three-point play. A pair of Seaborn free throws put the Hawks up 58-56 with 16:03 to go. Army built their lead with a 10-0 run after that to go up 66-58, using a Kyle Wilson three and a Dylan Cox layup to take that eight-point edge with 12:57 left.

The teams went back and forth in the early stages as evidenced by the 17 lead changes in the opening half. Chris Brady (Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields) opened the game with 10 first-half points including a pair of dunks, and MU led by as many as four with 11:38 to go in the first half after Diago Quinn (New York, NY/Lake Forest Academy [IL]) converted his second three-point play opportunity. Monmouth led by one at 4:08 when Robinson took one left of the lane and scored to put the Hawks up 35-34. The Black Knights responded with an 8-0 spurt to take a 42-35 lead behind five points from Wilson. Trailing by five late in the half, Collin Stewart (Greenville, NY/Mekeel Christian Academy) threw down a dunk to trim the deficit to three with 19 seconds to play in the half. After 18 seconds of solid defense, Plomb hit a long three with a hand in his face from the left wing at the horn to put Army up 50-44 at the half.

Robinson led the Hawks with 23, his eighth game of 20 points or more this season while adding four assists on 9-20 shooting. Three other Hawks reached double-figures, including Stewart, Seaborn, and Brady. Deon Jones (Wilmington, DE/Sanford School [Towson]) contributed eight points and eight rebounds. MU shot 45.5% from the floor while Army totaled 43.3% and 39.3% from downtown. Plomb had 27 on four triples for the Black Knights, while Kyle Wilson scored 21 points with four threes of his own. Kevin Ferguson grabbed 13 rebounds for the home team.

Monmouth is back on the floor at home next Monday, January 4, for a MAAC contest against Canisius. Tip at The MAC is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

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