Monmouth basketball falls to Northeastern, 77-65, as road skid reaches 10 games
The road woes continued for Monmouth basketball Saturday.
Exactly three months after a Nov. 10 victory at West Virginia, the Hawks had a golden opportunity to snap a nine-game slide and couldn’t do it against a struggling Northeastern squad at Matthews Arena in Boston.
Instead of a breakthrough victory, it was a 10th straight road loss, falling 77-65 as the young Hawks continue to search for answers.
All while Monmouth (12-12, 6-6) is riding a 10-game home winning streak.
It was Xander Rice leading the way with 25 points. But unlike the first meeting with Northeastern, when Rice was 5-of-5 from 3-point range, he missed all five of his attempts from long range. Center Nikita Konstantynovskyi scored 12 points, hitting all six shots from the floor, and six rebounds.
"They outplayed us right from the beginning," Monmouth head coach King Rice said. "When you show up to someone’s gym and look like that, that’s what you get. We’ll be ready on Thursday.”
Northeastern (10-15, 5-7) had four players in double figures, led by forward Chris Doherty, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Rashad King had 16, while Luka Sakota added 15 and Harold Woods had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Monmouth’s last lead of the game came at 14-13, and the Hawks trailed by 16 points, 38-22, late in the first half.
Monmouth had the deficit down to three points when Rice sank three free throws, making the score 50-47 with 13:20 to play. But Rashad King immediately hit a 3-pointer for the Huskies, sparking a 10-0 run, and Monmouth never got that close again.
Monmouth returns to the friendly confines of OceanFirst Bank Center for two games, beginning with a Thursday showdown with Campbell, before Stony Brook comes to town Saturday.
PREGAME
Monmouth basketball: 3 keys vs Northeastern, as Hawks seek first road win in 3 months
Three months. That’s how long it’s been since Monmouth won a true road game.
It’s the most important box the young team needs to check. And no time like the present, as the Hawks try to snap a nine-game road losing streak today (1 p.m.; FloSports.com) when they take on Northeastern at Matthews Arena in Boston.
Because the Hawks’ ability to learn how to win on the road will be critical with four remaining games away from home, all with big implications for seeding at the CAA Tournament, which begins in Washington, D.C. on March 8.
Monmouth (13-11, 6-5 CAA), winners of 10 straight at home after Thursday’s victory over William & Mary, has not won on the road since topping West Virginia on Nov. 10.
The Hawks beat Northeastern, 81-62, in West Long Branch on Jan. 8, as Xander Rice hit 11-of-12 from the floor, and all five of his 3-pointers, in scoring 29 points. Jakari Spence had 11 points and five assists, and Jaret Valencia finished with 10 points and six boards.
If they can’t pull this one off, their next road game is on Feb. 22 at Towson, which had an 18-game home winning streak snapped by Delaware Thursday.
Northeastern (9-15, 4-7) had lost four straight before winning on the road at Campbell Thursday, 86-76. The Huskies are led by 6-7 graduate forward Chris Doherty, averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, getting 11 points and seven rebounds versus Monmouth, while sophomore guard Harold Woods (10.4 ppg., 4.1 rpg.) had 16 points. The Huskies were without 6-6 graduate guard Luka Sakota, their second leading scorer at 10.7 ppg.
Here are three keys as Monmouth looks to end its road drought:
1. Success from long range
Monmouth is the best 3-point shooting team in the CAA at 36.7 percent, while Northeastern is last in defending the perimeter, with opponents shooting 38 percent against them.
This could be a big moment for freshman Abdi Bashir Jr., connecting on 43 of 92 attempts from long range, or 46.7 percent. King Rice is comfortable rolling with Bashir as their primary scorer for stretches of the game, with his step back 3-pointers off the bench energizing the team. He’s still looking for that breakout CAA performance.
2. Defensive intensity
After the William & Mary win, King Rice had no idea about the extent of the offensive contributions throughout the rotation because he’d been so focused on what had been a solid defensive effort, as the Hawks held the Tribe to 33 percent shooting from the floor.
Defensive intensity is the one thing Monmouth truly can control. They have to bring it every game now, especially on the road.
3. Balanced attack
When Monmouth’s freshmen – Valencia, Bashir and Robinson – and sophomore Jack Collins combined for 46 points and 18 rebounds against William & Mary, it was a blueprint for success. Because if the Hawks get production from throughout the lineup to support Xander Rice, there’s no telling how high the Hawks can fly come March. Pencil them in for 40 points a game and they become hard to beat.
FROM THURSDAY
Monmouth downs William & Mary, 68-64; 3 takeaways as young stars key 10th straight home win
WEST LONG BRANCH - If Monmouth is to realize its full potential this season, Xander Rice can’t do all the heavy lifting every game, as great as the graduate guard has been.
So it was a huge moment Thursday night when the Hawks youngsters stepped up to shoulder the load and led the Hawks to a 10th straight home victory, holding on for a 68-64 win over William & Mary at OceanFirst Bank Center.
In all, Monmouth’s freshmen and sophomore class combined to score 46 points and grab 18 rebounds, before senior Jakari Spence’s free throw with 7.1 seconds left finally sealed the win.
Monmouth (13-11, 6-5 CAA) was paced by sophomore Jack Collins’ 15 points, to go with seven rebounds, while freshman forward Cornelius "Boog" Robinson Jr., making his first career start, had 12 points. Redshirt freshman forward Jaret Valencia had 11 points and six blocks, the most by a Hawk since 2017, and freshman Abdi Bashir Jr. had eight points. Factor in 10 points by Spence and seven assists from Rice, who had seven points and six rebounds, and it was the balanced attack that made the difference.
"If we get something from all of our guys it’s going to make us a much harder team to beat," said Monmouth head coach King Rice, Xander's father.
The added point production was important since Monmouth played most of the game without graduate center Nikita Konstantynovskyi, who was suspended for the first half due to a sportsmanship-related issue during the Delaware game. He came into the game at the first media timeout in the second half, with Monmouth leading 49-38, and played just five minutes, failing to score. Rice said he would start Saturday at Northeastern.
Robinson made the start in place of Konstantynovskyi, grabbing five rebounds, hitting 4-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
“I was definitely excited for the first start of my college career," said Robinson, who scored six points in the opening minutes. "So that was definitely big for me and hopefully just keep building on that."
The Hawks have not lost at home since falling to Princeton in the home opener. It’s the longest home winning streak since the Hawks went 13-0 at Boylan Gym in 2003-04, with that team playing in the NCAA Tournament. They can equal the mark by winning their final three home games.
William & Mary (8-16, 3-8) has now lost three straight games, and seven of its last eight. Trey Moss led the way with 20 points for the Tribe, while Chase Lowe added 17.
The Tribe cut what had been a 49-36 lead with 15 minutes to play down to 54-51 on a Trey Moss 3-pointer with 7:47 to play. Monmouth was able to build it back to 58-51. But a four-point play by Gabe Dorsey with 1:48 left cut Monmouth’s lead to 62-60. Then a pair of free throws from Robinson and a dunk by Valencia off a Spence feed pushed the lead back up to six points.
More: Monmouth falls at Delaware, 84-80, losing 9th straight on road despite 24 from Xander Rice
Monmouth returns to the court Saturday when it looks to snap a nine-game road losing streak, taking on Northeastern at the Matthews Arena in Boston, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
Here are three takeaways from Monmouth's win over William & Mary:
1. Hawks have a high ceiling
The ability of Monmouth’s young players to make consistent contributions, every game, is the key for this team over the next month.
“We have a whole team that is pretty young,” Collins said. “Younger guys who are just finding their roles still. Boog, Abdi, Jaret, all these guys this is their first season in college. They’re just getting better all the time, so them being able to improve every game and keep getting better, all these teams we have already played, they’re the best they can be. We just keep getting better every week, in practice and games you can see it.
“We’re starting to get more chemistry with each other and we’re playing a lot better.”
2. More on Konstantynovskyi
The fact that Monmouth was able to pull the game out without any production at all from Konstantynovskyi, who has been a consistent force in the paint all season, was a big deal. But Rice made it clear that he’ll be back on the court playing his normal minutes this weekend.
“We’re be right back to normal,” Rice said. “The play happened in the (Delaware) game did not get called. Nobody saw it. It gets brought to my attention and it looked it was warranted for Nikita to be out, how it looked.
“I know Nikita. He’s not trying to hit somebody on purpose. He might get in there and bang with you, he is not intentionally throwing a blow at a player. He is not like that. So I felt awful having to do this but you have to do the right things.”
3. Doing the little things
While Xander Rice only took nine shots in 34 minutes, he did a lot of little things that made the win possible, like dishing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds. And his leadership on the court is something that doesn’t show up in the box score.
Rice came into the game averaging 21.7 ppg. for the season, and 25.7 ppg. in CAA play.
“People are going to challenge him and really start talking and really start bumping and he has handled it so well,” King Rice said. “And then tonight I think they got under his skin.”
PREGAME
How many games can Monmouth basketball win in 2024? Hawks seek 10th straight at home tonight
WEST LONG BRANCH – Monmouth’s struggles on the road, having lost nine straight, puts that much more pressure on them at home, with the Hawks looking for a 10th straight win at OceanFirst Bank Center Thursday night (7 p.m.; SNY/NBC Sports Philadelphia) when they host William & Mary (8-15, 3-7 CAA).
So with eight regular season games remaining before the CAA Tournament gets underway in Washington, D.C. on March 8, what are the expectations for Monmouth (12-11, 5-5 CAA) over the next month?
Let’s take a look.
As of Wednesday, Monmouth was ranked 173 in the NET. The remaining home schedule includes: William & Mary (327 NET); Campbell (297); Stony Brook (202); and North Carolina A&T (331). On the road, they play: Northeastern (243); Towson (142), riding an 18-game home winning streak; Hampton (346); and Elon (307).
The Hawks should beat every team with a NET in the 300 range or above, regardless of where those games are played, beginning with William & Mary. That’s the starting point and it should equal five wins. And if you win every home game, which includes beating Stony Brook, which bested Monmouth on its home floor last month, that’s 6-2 down the stretch. That’s a regular season at 18-13, with an 11-7 mark in CAA play. A year ago, that would have been good enough for the No. 5 seed at the CAA Tournament.
Now, winning at Towson is problematic for anyone. But what about pulling off a win at Northeastern? If the Hawks somehow managed to win that one and get to 12-6, that could put them in the conversation for one of the top four seeds, which go straight through to the quarterfinals. Last year, 12-6 was tied for third.
So that’s the path to a good seed in the CAA Tournament: Win every home game; beat 300-plus NET teams (Hampton and Elon) on the road; and snap the nine-game road losing streak Saturday at Northeastern.
As for William & Mary, here are three keys for Monmouth as they looked to win a 10th straight at home:
1. More help for Xander Rice
As good as graduate guard Xander Rice has been all season, his performance since CAA play began has been next level. He leads the league with 25.7 ppg. average, and is tops with 33 3-ponters and 66 free throws made, and ranks second with 79 field goals. His 257 points are 48 more than the next highest total. And his late game heroics have saved Monmouth several times.
More: Monmouth women's basketball falls to Stony Brook, but signs of progress are everywhere
But can Monmouth do enough around him to get this team over the top?
Among the top scorers in the league, Monmouth doesn’t have another in the top 30. Sophomore guard Jack Collins, at 10.3 ppg., is the only other player averaging in double-figures. Collins and center Nikita Konstantynovskyi, third at 9.3 ppg., have each hit double figures in scoring just three times in the last 10 games. But it’s going to take more consistent production from everyone in the seven-man rotation to make a difference.
2. Feed the big man
Center Nikita Konstantynovskyi’s last two games have been pretty good. He did a nice job battling Drexel’s Amari Williams inside, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds while limiting the CAA’s Preseason Player of the Year, before scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds against Delaware.
Monmouth likes to pound the ball inside early in the game to get the 6-10 graduate transfer from Tulsa untracked, and that makes a lot of sense here against a team that’s been without 6-10 Charlie Williams the past three games. The Hawks are 6-3 when Konstantynovskyi scores in double-figures.
3. Win on the perimeter
Only Hofstra and Charleston have taken, and made, more 3-pointers than William & Mary. And Monmouth is shooting the highest percentage from beyond the arc in the CAA.
Monmouth is 6-2 this season when it makes more 3-pointers than it gives up, and has to defend on the perimeter, particularly early in the game, if it wants to keep its home streak alive. Junior guard Gabe Dorsey, who leads a balanced Tribe attack at 13.6 ppg., has hit 77 triples, the second highest total in the league, and is averaging 3.3 per-game, also second.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth basketball falls to Northeastern, 77-65, as road skid reaches 10
