WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell at Monmouth, 77-71, Saturday afternoon at OceanFirst Bank Center. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 2-8, while the Hawks are now 6-5.

Hot Monmouth shooting and Rider turnovers gave the Hawks an early 18-9 lead that swelled to 26-15 on consecutive Abdi Bashir, Jr. three-pointers, the second at the 10:39 mark. But the Broncs responded with a 14-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 29-28, on Corey McKeithan's (Windsor, CT/Windsor) third three-pointer of the half at the 6:20 mark. Monmouth would push its lead back to as many as eight and settled for a seven-point cushion, 44-37, at the break. James led the Broncs with 12 points and four rebounds, all on the offensive glass.

A T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) three-pointer early in the second half cut the deficit to six. But a 12-3 Monmouth spurt pushed the advantage to 17 by the 10:33 mark. The Broncs scored 10 of the final 12 points in the game, including four each from Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) and McKeithan. But it only got the Broncs to within the final six-point margin, 77-71.

Quotes & Notes
"We've got to stop turning the ball over and give us a chance. You've got to get a shot at the basket every opportunity. We turned it over way too much."

"I was encouraged today. We finally looked like our team. We battled. We didn't always play smart. It was good to see Allen Powell play well." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the all-time series with Monmouth, 33-28. The former NEC and MAAC rivals will met for the 35th-consecutive season, having played in every year dating back to the 1989-90 season. Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett is 11-13 against King Rice's Monmouth teams since taking over in 2012-13, including an 88-62 victory on Nov. 30, 2022, at Alumni Gym.

Broncs by the Numbers
- James led the Broncs with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He grabbed six of his seven rebounds on the offensive glass and had a team-high four assists.
- Powell scored 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long range. He also made both of his free-throw attempts and dished out two assists.
- McKeithan scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from long range and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He grabbed three rebounds and added two assists.
- Ingraham finished with eight points on 2-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He grabbed four rebounds, made a steal and blocked a shot.
- Weeks Jr. added six points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
- Monmouth outshot Rider, 50.9 percent (28-55) to 45.5 percent (25-55) from the floor, including a 52.4 percent (11-21) to 40.0 percent (8-20) edge from long range.
- The Broncs took a 72.2 percent (13-18) to 62.5 percent (10-16) advantage from the free-throw line.
- Rider outrebounded Monmouth, 36-26.
- The Broncs turned the ball over 14 times to the Hawks' 10, resulting in a 21-6 edge for Monmouth in points off turnovers.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Wednesday, Dec. 20, when they travel to Delaware for a 7 p.m. tip. on FloHoops.