Monmouth University’s Men’s Basketball took on the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center Thursday, Nov. 13. The Pirates won the game with the final score 70-58. The Hawks fought from start to finish, but ultimately fell short and could not come out on top.
While the point-scoring started off with a free throw from the Pirates less than a minute into the game, the Hawks quickly established their rhythm in the first half. Both teams started with solid defense, but the Pirates eventually let up, allowing the Hawks to score with a dunk from junior guard Jason Rivera-Torres, gaining Monmouth’s first two points of the game from within the paint.
Senior guard, Jack Collins continued the point scoring minutes later with two more free throws, first tying the game, and then giving them back the lead. Two more free throws from freshman forward, Stefanos Spartalis gave the Hawks a jumpstart, briefly widening the margin, though the gap eventually shrinking to a one point difference after a layup from junior guard Mike Williams III. The Hawks and Pirates continued to match each other’s point scoring and defensive pressure, but the Hawks met a brief offensive drought, allowing the Pirates to pull ahead and lead by two points.
Monmouth remained at their 13 point mark, until Spartalis gained the Hawks another good layup from in the paint. Collins earned the Hawks both their first 3 pointer of the game, as well as the lead, assisted by junior forward, Cornelius Robinson III, making the score 18-17 and giving Monmouth the lead.
Monmouth continued to widen the gap, as Spartalis, Rivera-Torres, and Collins continued to lead the Hawks, though the Pirates answered right back. Seton Hall jumped back into action with two more free throws, countered by a Hawks layup. Rivera-Torress gave the Hawks the final leg up of the first half, as Monmouth went into the locker room with a seven point lead, 34-27.
Seton Hall started the second half with four baskets, quickly diminishing the margin that the Hawks had begun the half with and tying the game within the first two minutes of the half. While the Hawks continued to score, they seemed to lose the momentum they had in the first half, as every basket was quickly being answered and cancelled out by the Pirates. Seton Hall eventually took a fifteen point lead with two minutes remaining in the game, keeping that lead until the end of the game, as the Hawks fell short.
While the Hawks loss was disappointing, the new assets continued to showcase their skills; Spartalis had 16 points and made nine out of ten of his shots, as well as Rivera-Torres earning ten points and eight rebounds. These individuals, as well as the results in the first half show that the team is growing with every game, and is fully capable of competing.
As the Hawks look ahead to the rest of the season, they will try to continue to grow and apply the momentum of the first half in the games to come. Monmouth’s next game is on Tuesday, Nov. 18 against the Syracuse Orange.
