Monmouth basketball falls at Towson, 68-48, as Hawks lose ninth straight, fall to 1-17

For the second time in three days Monmouth had to face one of the Colonial Athletic Association’s top teams on the road.

And as was the case at Hofstra on Wednesday, the young Hawks were able to flash a little potential but simply didn’t have enough firepower to hang with Towson, as the CAA preseason favorites pulled away for a 68-48 victory Saturday at HSBU Arena in Townson, Maryland.

Seton Hall transfer Ryan Conway, a redshirt freshman guard, torched Monmouth with five three-points, finishing with a game-high 17 points. Meanwhile, 6-7 junior forward Charles Thompson had his fourth double-double of the season, leading a dominating performance on the glass by the Tigers.

Myles Foster battled in the paint for Monmouth, with the 6-7 junior forward finishing with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds. Freshman guard Jack Collins, who connected on a pair of three-pointers, was the only other Hawk in double figures with 11 points.

Monmouth (1-17, 0-5 CAA), losers of nine straight, has lost its five league games by an average of 19.2 points, and came in ranked 359 of 363 Division 1 teams in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Now the Hawks must brace for a Thursday night game with No. 22 Charleston, the CAA leader, at OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch.

“Our kids are resilient and they keep fighting," Monmouth coach King Rice said. "I’m trying to keep my guys' heads in a good place and find the group that isn’t going to get discouraged. I thought we had a bunch of kids today really, really fight in this game.”

Can't close gap

While Monmouth was able to get within eight points against Hofstra midway through the second half, they never got closer than the 13 points they trailed by at halftime against Towson, which led by as many as 22.

Monmouth, which has had just 10 players all season due to injuries, was even thinner against Towson with 6-9 junior Klemen Vuga out (illness). Towson took full advantage, finishing with a 39-27 edge on the glass, scoring 16 second chance points.

Thompson established himself in the paint early, scoring seven of their first 12 points, and grabbing three quick rebounds. But the time Towson had opened up a 22-10 lead, the Tigers had an 18-8 edge in rebounding, including eight offensive rebounds and nine second chance points.

After Towson extended its lead to 28-10, Collins gave Monmouth a much-needed boost from the outside, including two triples within a 20-second span to cap an 8-0 run, pulling the Hawks within 28-18. But steals by Thompson and Holden on consecutive Monmouth possessions led to two scores.

Foster and Collins scored 18 of the Hawks’ first 20 points, before 7-1 freshman center Amaan Sandhu, playing extended minutes in Vuga’s absence, scored inside, and Ball hit a pair of free throws with a second on the clock to cut Towson’s lead to 37-24 at the break.

Pregame

Monmouth basketball vs. Towson: What to look for as Hawks seek first CAA win

Everyone knew there would be a transition period for Monmouth as it moved into the Colonial Athletic Association.

What Monmouth’s learning early on me is how tough the climb.

So far Monmouth (1-16) has absorbed four double-digit losses in as many CAA games, falling by an average of 19 points, including Wednesday’s 77-57 loss at Hofstra. And now they take on preseason favorite Towson (10-7, 2-2 CAA) at SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland Saturday (3 p.m.; CBS Sports Network).

It looms as another daunting measuring stick. Towson beat Drexel by six points at SECU Arena on Jan. 5, and Drexel beat Monmouth by 32 points in Philadelphia two days later. And next up is No. 22 Charleston (17-1, 5-0) next Thursday in West Long Branch.

It’s proving to be a much tougher changeover than it was back in 2013-14, when Monmouth was transitioning from the Northeast Conference to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where it resided the past nine seasons.

Back then, Monmouth was 1-3 after four games, with the three losses by an average of 10.7 points. The Hawks went 5-15 in the MAAC that season, losing nine games by 10 points or more.

So what’s it going to take against Towson for Monmouth to start outperforming the early returns?

Here are four things to look for against the Tigers:

1. Matchup inside

Towson isn’t a huge team but they’re athletic, and 6-7 senior forward Charles Thompson will be a handful. Thompson’s averaging 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. It makes for an interesting matchup against Myles Foster, Monmouth’s 6-7 junior forward, averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds.

2. Backcourt battle

Monmouth’s backcourt will have to keep guard Nick Timberlake in check, and that won’t be easy. The 6-4 graduate student was a first-team All-CAA performer last season, and has been incredibly consistent this season, averaging 16.2 points and 4.1 rebounds.

3. Offensive flow

Once again, Monmouth faces a team that’s very good defensively. The Tigers hold teams to 66.6 points-per-game, while Monmouth is among the most anemic offenses in the country.  Towson is averaging 68. 3 points-per-game, but Monmouth has only scored 69 points or more just three times this season.

Monmouth looked good early against Hofstra, and during a second half rally that cut the deficit to single digits. Keeping that good flow and ball movement going for longer stretches will be a key part of any growth this season.

4. Intensity

It’s been a long season, and there’s still a long way to go. The Hawks’ intensity has to stay at a high level. What was ultimately a 20-point loss at Hofstra last time out was a lot closer than that for most of the game.

Check back later Saturday for complete coverage of the Monmouth-Towson game.

Pregame

Monmouth basketball falls to Hofstra: Here are 5 takeaways from 77-57 loss

Unlike Monmouth’s lopsided loss at Drexel Saturday, the Hawks showed some signs of life at Hofstra Wednesday night. But while glimpses of potential are nice, they’re simply not enough to win games at this point.

And so Hofstra came away with a 77-57 victory at Mack Events Complex, as Monmouth lost its eight straight game, falling to 1-16 for the season.

A big second half by sophomore guard Tahron Allen enabled Monmouth to pull within eight points with 10:42 to play, as Allen scored nine straight points for the Hawks to key a 12-1 run.

But that was as close as the Hawks would get, as the Pride opened up a 22-point lead in the final minutes.

Former Manhattan forward Warren Williams scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Hofstra (11-7, 4-1 CAA), while Tyler Thomas scored 18 as well. Point guard Jaquan Carlos and reigning CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada each scored 12 points.

Allen led the way for Monmouth with 13 points, while junior forward Myles Foster finished with 11 points.

“Hofstra’s one of the better teams in the league, they have so many weapons," Monmouth coach King Rice said. "The thing that keeps showing up in this league is how big and strong guys are, and our kids get tired some nights. We can battle for a little while, and I was proud of our guys tonight. I was proud of how we started."

It’s Monmouth’s eighth straight loss, having dropped each by double-digits, with an average margin of defeat of 24 points during that time. It ranks as the second worst start in program history, behind only the 0-19 start during the 1998-1999 season.

The Hawks have now lost to Hofstra in each of the last six seasons.

Rally falls short

Hofstra wasted little time extending its 10-point halftime lead, getting a triple from Carlos in the opening minute, before stretching the lead to 45-26.  But after a three-pointer by freshman guard Jack Collins, Allen took the game over, scoring the Hawks’ next nine points, pulling them within 46-38.

But a Thomas three-pointer, followed by another from Carlos after a Myles Ruth turnover and the Pride were off and running, building the lead back to 19 points on a Thomas triple from the corner.

It was Monmouth’s best start in a long time, maybe this season, jumping out to a six-point lead at 10-4 on a steal by Jakari Spence, who got the start at point guard over Ruth, and dunk by Andrew Ball. They also led a 18-12 on a triple by Spence.

But a series of five turnovers over the course of several minutes helped fuel a 13-0 run by the Pride, capped by a midrange jumper by Thomas. But Monmouth got a pair of free throws from Klemen Vuga, got a stop at the other end and score inside by Foster to make it a one possession game at 25-22. But Estrada drained a three-pointer with Collins in his face, igniting a 9-0 run, with Hofstra eventually taking a 36-26 halftime lead.

Here are five takewaways from Monmouth's latest loss:

1. Allen sighting

Allen, who came off the bench, hit 6-of-11 from the floor and looked very good in the second half.

It was a nice rebound for Allen, who had a six-game stretch in which he averaged 10 points. But in the six games since he scored just 10 points total.  So his 13-point performance was an encouraging sign for the 6-4 guard, who was a prolific scorer in high school.

2. Not enough defense

Hofstra just had too many weapons for Monmouth, with the CAA’s worst defense, and one of the worst in the country. The Pride shot 56 percent for the game and were 8-of-20 from three-point range, while scoring 12 second-chance points.

3. Lineup change

Picking up the second start of his career, Spence, the former Toms River North standout, was solid at point guard, hitting two three-pointers on his only shots of the game, with four rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 26 minutes. Spence and Ruth combined to score 11 points, grad six rebound and dish six assists.

By contrast, Carlos finished with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.

4. Too many giveaways

Monmouth was simply too sloppy with the basketball, as Hofstra scored 29 points off of 17 turnovers. Monmouth’s margin of error is such that numbers like that can’t be overcome.

5. Rough road ahead

It doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Towson to face the preseason CAA favorite, before returning home for a Jan. 19 game against No. 22 Charleston. The next realistic chance for a win comes a week from Saturday when they host Hampton, also looking for its first CAA win.

Pregame

Monmouth basketball vs. Hofstra: What does progress look like for beleaguered Hawks?

Break it down however you want. Rankings, advanced metrics, the eye test. Or just look at the record.

Monmouth men’s basketball is in a tough spot right now at 1-15, with seven straight loses heading into the meaty portion of its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association season.

It begins Wednesday night in Hempstead, New York against Hofstra (10-7, 3-1 CAA), currently tied for third in the standings. Then comes Saturday’s road clash with Towson (9-7, 3-1), tied with Hofstra, before hosting league-leading No. 22 Charleston (16-1, 4-0) next Thursday.

The question now isn’t if, or when, the Hawks can get their first CAA win, but what progress looks like during the second half of the season.

After 16 games, everyone has played a lot of minutes against good competition, with the Hawks having played with just 10 players all season.

Even with the level going up, the young Hawks have to show they can be competitive at this level.

Monmouth’s lost to Hofstra in each of the last five seasons, and haven’t beaten the Pride since 2013. Here are some things that need to happen for the Hawks to start showing improvement:

1. Shooters wanted

Over the last five games, Monmouth has hit just 11 three-pointers and is shooting 32.8 percent from the field. They haven’t shot well all season, but this is their worst stretch, with the 27.1 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc against Drexel season lows.

They've also missed 19 free throws over the past two games. Not that making some of those changes the outcome – they lost by 32 at Drexel – but it could certainly help tighten up some of these lopsided scores.

2. Point guard production

Myles Ruth had a five-games stretch in which he averaged 14.8 points, including a career-high 21 points against Manhattan in their only win. In four games since he’s averaging 3.8 points, shooting 4-of-24 from the floor.

The junior was one of the few players with any experience as a starter coming into this season, Ruth has to run the offense, but he also has to score.  His ability to develop over the next two months will be critical for the program moving forward.

3. Consistency

Freshman Andrew Ball had a career-high 13 points two games ago against Stony Brook, but the 6-8 guard didn’t score at Drexel. Sophomore guard Tahron Allen had a six-game stretch in which he averaged 10 points. In six games since he’s scored just 10 points total.

They’re examples of how performances have varied wildly this season. Ball and Allen, both starters, combined for four points at Drexel. With two points each from Ruth and freshman guard Jack Collins, Monmouth’s top four guards combined to score eight points.

4. Defensive intensity

Drexel shredded Monmouth’s defense, dishing out 18 assists and knocking down 10 three-pointers. And the Dragons rank 10th among CAA teams in total offense.

Monmouth might not be able to score enough, but summoning the defensive intensity at the other end of the court will be critical. Playing hard on defense is actually the only thing they can control at this point.

5. Coach them up

The coaching staff has been unable to turn this group into a cohesive unit at either end of the floor. Now the CAA grind is ramping up, and keeping this group together will be critical.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth NJ basketball loses to Towson, 68-48, falling to 1-17