Box Score WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Manhattan men's basketball team fell to Monmouth 77-71, at Ocean First Bank Center.
The Jaspers (4-6) were led in scoring by
Shaquil Bender, who had 17 points and four rebounds.
Perry Cowan was one rebound short of a double-double recording 11 points and nine rebounds.
Rokas Jocys added 12 points and three assists, while
Jaden Winston scored 11 points and six assists.
Manhattan led at halftime, taking a 37-34 advantage into the break. Bender led the Jaspers in the half, scoring 11 points.
Monmouth took a 45-43 lead with 13:24 remaining in the second half and wouldn't look back, maintaining the lead for the rest of the contest. The Jaspers would cut the lead to three with 5:21 remaining, however, an ensuing 9-0 Monmouth run would put the game out of reach for Manhattan.
"Give Monmouth a lot of credit. They have veteran players who play extremely hard. As for us, I am proud of our efforts as we continue to grow," said
Coach Gallagher. "We have to keep tightening up things on both sides of the ball. Being down another two key players because of sickness and injury is never an excuse. We had our chances but we just have to continue to learn & grow which I know we will."
Xander Rice led Monmouth, scoring 24 points. Nikita Konstantynovskyi and Jack Collins both recorded double-doubles for the Hawks. Monmouth's key to victory was controlling the glass, outrebounding the Jaspers 47 to 34.
Manhattan shot 36.2% from the field, including 38.2% from beyond the arc. The Jaspers collected 19 bench points and 20 points in the paint.
Monmouth shot 46.8% from the field, including 31.8% from beyond the arc. The Hawks collected 10 bench points and 32 points in the paint.
Manhattan will return home to play Wagner College at Draddy Gymnasium on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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