WEST LONG BRANCH — As the regular season winds down and each game becomes more crucial, the Monmouth men’s basketball team did what it needed to do in a 82-69 victory over Stony Brook on Thursday night, Feb. 26.
The double-digit victory snapped a Monmouth (15-14 overall, 9-7 CAA) two-game skid. The two losses came at the hands of the teams at the top of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in UNCW and Charleston. Those two conference losses knocked the Hawks down from the third spot to the sixth, behind Stony Brook. Thursday was one of three games left in the regular season until the conference tournament next week in Washington – the top four teams get a bye into the quarterfinals.
“It was just a must-win game,” said Jason Rivera-Torres, who had a game-high 25 points to go with 6 rebounds. “In the locker room we were just saying ‘must-in game, must-win game’. Trying to get a good seed in the playoffs and the CAA Tournament, so just treating every game from now to the CAA Tournament like it’s a must-win.”
This is only the sixth game since Monmouth’s starting point guard Kavion McClain was cleared by the NCAA to play. The senior finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The energy through the Monmouth team has been different since his arrival and it showed in a win. The two teams played in McClain’s first game back and Hawks won that one in overtime.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
1. Jason Rivera-Torres shines in second half
Though Monmouth got out to an early lead to start the game, there was a time when Stony Brook made a push in the second half. The 22-point lead once dwindled down to 59-54 with 9:29 left in the game. However, two straight 3-pointers by Rivera-Torres helped push the lead back to double digits. The 6-foot-7 guard had 17 of his 25 points in the second half. .
“I told our team that they were just kind of playing harder than us,” Rivera-Torres said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win and it just so happens I was the one to hit those 3’s but I just felt like we came out the second half kind of sluggish and just trying to do anything for the team.”
He aslo picked up Stony Brook’s leading scorer Erik Pratt full court on the defensive end.
“He started out at Vanderbilt for a reason guys, he’s a high-major guard… We’re fortunate that he chose us… With kids when they’re comfortable, they hoop to the highest level,” Rice said. “He’s comfortable here. He’s hooping.”
2. Monmouth’s fast start
Being that it was a must-win game for Monmouth, it showed in how the Hawks came out the gate swinging. A 14-2 run pushed the score to 27-9 with Monmouth holding a decent lead. Andrew Ball came off the bench and scored 11, 9 in the first half. Monmouth made eight 3-pointers and was 61% from the field in the first half. The lead once reached 22 points, but a 7-0 run brought the game closer before a Cornelius Robinson putback at the end of the shot clock put an end to that. Monmouth went into the half leading 49-35.
A reason for Monmouth getting out to a hot start to begin the game was how the Hawks controlled the pace. Monmouth picked up full court, applying pressure for the entire possession. Once Monmouth got a rebound or steal, the ball was pushed down the floor with the passing being crisp and fast. Monmouth also didn’t second guess and any decision — it was either drive or shoot. Monmouth being decisive with the ball contributed to the offense running fluidly.
“We’re 4-2 with Kavion and our whole group and we have options now that we didn’t have before,” Monmouth head coach King Rice said. “And everybody’s playing at their normal position. So now guys are coming in and out. We can play more guys.”
3. Student turnout contributes to energy
The student section was full for Monmouth inside the OceanFirst Bank Center. The energy through the building transcended into Monmouth’s energy. Whether it was an alley-oop from Justin Ray (5 points) to Dok Muordar (4 points) or a slam by Ball — big plays ignited the Monmouth crowd. The attendance was 1,637.
Pratt was ejected out the game with 2:30 left for spitting at a fan in the student section. He finished with 14 points.
“I didn’t see what happened but I’ve had problems with fans, sometimes people come and they have a lot to say and I love our fans,” Rice said. “Our fans usually don’t get into it with anybody, but when it’s kids down there under the basket things can get hot and he obviously made a mistake.”
At Black History Night, players wore “For The Culture” t-shirts. King Rice and Ron Kornegay are the two black head coaches in program history. Kornegay was also the all-time program leader as a player scoring 2,526 points.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth men’s basketball beats Stony Brook, snaps losing streak