WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- Marques Alston had 16 points --
including two key 3-pointers late in the game -- as Monmouth held
off a rally by St. Francis of New York and posted a 74-68 win on
Saturday night.
Dejan Delic came off the bench to score 14 points for the Hawks
(15-13, 12-5 in the Northeast Conference), while Tyler Azzarelli
and Chris Kenny added nine points each.
Sean Dantzler had a game-high 24 points for St. Francis (10-16,
7-10), including 8-of-12 from 3-point range, while Allan Sheppard
had 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
After the teams traded scoring runs in the first half, the Hawks
appeared to take command when Alston's layup gave them a 57-48 lead
with just under nine minutes left in the game. The Terriers,
though, fought back and closed the gap to 63-62 on a 3-pointer by
Dantzler with 2:36 remaining.
Monmouth then regained its shooting touch while St. Francis went
cold, and the Hawks eventually sealed the win by hitting 6-of-8
free throw attempts in the final minute.