Abdi Bashir Jr. scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the first half, Jaret Valencia was a rebound shy of a double-double and visiting Monmouth earned its first win of the season by taking down Seton Hall 63-51 on Saturday afternoon in Newark, N.J.
Bashir, who’d previously put up 38 points in a loss to Rutgers, made 6 of 9 3-point attempts Saturday. Valencia posted 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocks and Jack Collins added 13 points.
Monmouth (1-8) outperformed Seton Hall on the glass (34-28) and at the 3-point arc (10 for 21 vs. 5 for 21). Monmouth went 7-for-10 at the foul line and Seton Hall shot a paltry 8-for-16. The Hawks led by as many as 15 points down the stretch.
The Pirates (4-4) lost to a mid-major opponent for the third time this season, following one-point defeats to Fordham and Hofstra.
Isaiah Coleman poured in 20 points, tying a season high, and Chaunce Jenkins scored 12 for Seton Hall. Fifth-year guard Dylan Addae-Wusu sat out due to illness.
Seton Hall established a 12-8 lead when Coleman converted a three-point play with 12:12 to go, but the Pirates were held without a field goal for the next 6:01, missing five shots and losing two turnovers in that stretch.
Monmouth scored seven straight points to take the lead, and after Seton Hall answered with two free throws, Bashir knocked down his first of four 3-pointers in the half. The Hawks continually worked the ball around to wiggle Bashir free.
Bashir scored the final 14 Monmouth points of the half, and after Hall cobbled together a 9-0 run to retake the lead, Bashir’s open triple with 38 seconds to go handed the Hawks a 29-27 lead at intermission.
After Jenkins tied the game for Seton Hall on the first possession of the second half, Monmouth rattled off the next 10 points, including 3-pointers by Collins and Valencia, making it 39-29.
The Pirates had one more push, a 9-3 run with Coleman responsible for seven points. Cornelius Robinson Jr. answered for Monmouth with a pair of layups, and Hall went ice-cold again. Emmanuel Okorafor and Garwey Dual each had 0-for-2 trips to the foul line, on top of the Pirates missing eight straight from the field.
–Field Level Media
