Monmouth basketball pounds Stony Brook, as Hawks win 12th straight at home: 3 takeaways

WEST LONG BRANCH – Monmouth’s Cardiac Kids, fresh off the latest in a series of incredibly dramatic home wins, took it easy on the fans at OceanFirst Bank Center Saturday afternoon. There were no last-second fireworks or rousing comebacks, just a workmanlike performance and a much-needed victory.

Less than 48 hours after Xander Rice hit two long 3-pointers in the final 3.2 seconds to beat Campbell, the Hawks built a 27-point lead early in the second half and cruised to their 12th straight victory at home, topping Stony Brook, 84-61.

Powering the victory was a monster 22-point, 20-rebound performance by 6-10 graduate center Nikita Konstantynovskyi, leading a group of five players in double figures.

Monmouth (15-12, 8-6 CAA), which entered the day tied with Stony Brook for seventh place in the CAA, is now alone in seventh, but remains just a game out of a tie for fourth place in the tightly-packed standings with four regular season games left before the CAA Tournament.

“It’s great because we didn’t need some heroic things to happen,” Monmouth head coach King Rice said. “We entered the day saying we were going to the most disciplined and toughest team. We weren’t going to trap, we weren’t going to do all the running around where they got us spread out before. We are just going to be solid, and today we were so solid we were able to get a big lead and then hold them off, so credit to the kids.

“Our discipline and our toughness, that has to be our main thing. We’re going to play harder than you, and we’re going to be disciplined and tough, and it could get very fun around here.”

The question now is whether the momentum from back-to-back home wins can propel the Hawks forward as they try to snap a 10-game road losing streak Thursday at Towson, the first of three road games over the final two weeks.

Monmouth opened the second half by scoring the first 10 points, with the run eventually extending to 24-6 as the lead swelled to 61-35.

Stony Brook (14-13, 7-7)  was led by Tyler Stephenson-Moore’s 16 points, while Kevin Fitzmorris added 13.

More: WATCH: Desperation 40-foot shot at buzzer lifts Monmouth basketball to 11th straight home win

Three takeaways from Monmouth's big win

1. Frontcourt dominates.

For Konstantynovskyi, it was the sixth time this season in Division 1 basketball that a player has had 20 points and 20 rebounds.

“I had no idea what was going on. I just played my game, being physical. I didn’t know my numbers," Konstantynovskyi said. "I want to credit my teammates for sharing the ball well. I just did my part, rebounding well."

Not only was Jaret Valencia showing no ill effects from his sprained ankle against Campbell, he was a force throughout the game. The 6-9 redshirt freshman finished with 17 points. The frontcourt combined to score 57 points and grab 30 rebounds. In addition to Valencia and Konstantynovskyi, freshman forward Cornelius “Boog” Robinson Jr. had 16 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double.

“That’s just who I am. I’m a hard worker I try to play hard every time," said Robinson.

Monmouth held a 46-33 edge in rebounding, while holding a 36-24 edge in points in the paint.

2. Balanced scoring a plus

Coming in averaging 21.6 ppg., Monmouth graduate guard Xander Rise scored just three points, half of what he scored in the final seconds against Campbell. And it might end up being a positive thing, as others stepped up to shoulder the load. It's a good sign heading into a series of critical games, as teams continue to center their defensive efforts on stopping Rice.

“I truly think it’s a great thing,” King Rice said. “I’ve been telling these guys all season, scoring is not the issue for us. We do have a guy who can go crazy with Xander, but Abdi (Bashir Jr.) can go crazy. Jack (Collins) can go crazy. Obviously, Nikita today. My young boys are just getting better and better by the game.”

3. Energized crowd, former players help

The crowd of 2,511 was one of the largest crowds of the season, with the fans engaged throughout. It’s been one heck of a home campaign, with several last second wins and plenty of drama. The final chance to see what has been an exciting team to watch in person comes next Saturday, when North Carolina A&T comes to town.

But also in attendance were some 50 former players in town for the game, part of an event that King Rice hopes will become an annual thing, growing each year.

“I think it’s super important because these kids need the former guys,” King Rice said. “I don’t care what school you are at. We had a lot of success here before I got here, and these kids need the former players so they know what has happened because when you’re 18 to 22 you’re not thinking ‘who are the best guys who came here before me?’ You’re thinking ‘I’m the baddest man on the planet.’ So it’s so cool that the former guys. and we have a big group here, are here and that they are seeing these young guys and giving them the same support people gave them when they were here.”

PREGAME

Can miraculous Monmouth basketball win fuel March Madness dreams? 3 keys vs Stony Brook

WEST LONG BRANCH – You’re probably still talking about Thursday night’s Monmouth game. It’s understandable. Because Xander Rice’s latest Herculean effort, including two long 3-pointers in the final 3.2 seconds to beat Campbell, was the kind of performance that could springboard a young team to new heights.

But can the events from a midweek evening in February have an impact come March for a program looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006?

It’s an intriguing question as Monmouth (14-12, 7-6 CAA) looks to extend an 11-game home winning streak when Stony Brook (14-12, 7-6) comes to OceanFirst Bank Center Saturday (4 p.m.; SNY/NBC Sports Philadelphia/FloSports.com).

A victory over Seawolves, combined with losses by Delaware and Hofstra, and the Hawks could find themselves in a tie for fifth with four regular season games remaining. The top four seeds at the CAA Tournament go straight through to the quarterfinals.

And a change of trajectory is what’s needed for a team with so much upside potential, which has lost 10 straight on the road and faces three late-season games away from home.

Finish for the ages

To recap, Rice scored 24 points after halftime, including a run of 12 straight for the Hawks that took them from four points down to four up with 6:29 to play. And after they blew an 11-point lead with five minutes to play, Rice hit two 3-pointers in the final 3.2 seconds, including the 40-foot buzzer-beater, in an 88-87 win over Campbell.

His 37 points were the most scored by a Monmouth player at OceanFirst Bank Center since it opened in the 2009-2010 season - three more than Ray Salnave in 2020 - and equaled the most ever scored in the building. He hit eight 3-pointers, one off the program mark held by Dave Calloway and George Papas.

Now it’s about building on the wave of momentum the dramatic win provided.

There aren’t a lot of comparisons for what Rice did. There was the night in 2017 when Justin Robinson scored 26 points after halftime, including 10 in-a-row to lead Monmouth from eight down in the second half, beating Saint Peter’s in overtime before Robinson was honored for setting the career scoring mark in a postgame ceremony featuring Monmouth greats from the past.

Or the day in 2014 when Andrew “Red” Nicholas hit two triples in the final 10 seconds to beat Canisius.

Both those players will be among the 40 or so former Monmouth players in attendance Saturday for what coach King Rice hopes will be an annual event that grows each year. And having the current team put on another good show would be a nice starting point.

Three keys vs. Stony Brook

1. A healthy Jaret Valencia

Redshirt freshmen forward Jaret Valencia had his sprained ankle in a walking boot after the Campbell game. And while he downplayed the severity of the injury, having the athletic 6-9 forward, who can score and make a big difference on defense, at anything less than full strength is bad news.

Valencia was very active against Campbell, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and four blocks. Valencia currently leads the CAA with 1.8 blocked shots-per-game.

2. Limit turnovers

Monmouth is tops in the CAA in steals. Stony Brook is second. The team that protects the ball better gains a big edge here. Stony Brook scored 12 points off 12 Monmouth turnovers in a seven-point win in their first meeting. Rice and Jakari Spence had seven turnovers between them.

3. Guard the perimeter

Monmouth has to do a much better job defending the perimeter. Stony Brook was 10-of-22 from 3-point range in their first meeting. New Jersey native Aaron Clarke came off the bench and hit three, part of an 18-point effort that helped sink the Hawks. After a Rice jumper gave Monmouth the lead with 11 minutes to play, Clarke drained a dagger from deep and Stony Brook led the rest of the way. Stony Brook averages 7.8 triples per game. Keeping them at or below that number is critical.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth basketball pounds Stony Brook, as Ukrainian big man dominates