Monmouth’s Tenacity Shines in Hard-Fought Victory Over North Carolina A&T

Greensboro, NC – A trio of Hawks registered double-digit scores as Monmouth University Men’s Basketball executed a closing 12-3 surge to overcome North Carolina A&T on Thursday evening, 72-63. Abdi Bashir Jr. spearheaded the effort for MU with 21 points, while Madison Durr contributed 16 points and six rebounds.

With Monmouth ahead by 10, North Carolina A&T gradually narrowed the gap, ultimately forming an 8-0 run to level the score at 56 with 9:36 to go. Dok Muordar snatched a lob right after to restore Monmouth’s lead permanently, with the Hawks following with an 8-0 run of their own to establish a nine-point advantage with 2:27 left.

Monmouth surged to a 6-0 advantage and sustained it, with a 15-2 stretch elevating them to their greatest lead of the evening after Justin Ray’s fadeaway jumper at 8:44 made it 27-14. The lead remained in double digits for most of the initial half, with Bashir’s lengthy two sending them to halftime ahead 45-36.

NOTES AND QUOTES

“We believe we have been improving defensively. These players have been battling through all of this, and our defense has been quite solid over the past three games. When your defense is robust, you can secure victories anywhere.” – Head Coach King Rice

“We have dedicated ourselves all season to securing these victories. We’ve faced challenges, and we had to demonstrate our capabilities in a tough setting. They had a surge in the second half, but we needed to revert to our fundamentals, guarding the ball. To step into such environments and secure wins, you must operate as a cohesive unit and maintain energy.” – Guard Madison Durr

–Abdi Bashir Jr. reached 20+ points for the eighth instance in 10 contests.

-Monmouth is now 5-0 historically against North Carolina A&T.
–Jack Collins recorded double-digit rebounds for the second consecutive match.
-All seven of Dok Muordar’s points were scored in the second half.
-MU secured consecutive victories for the first time this season.
-Monmouth is 3-2 in the CAA for the first time in history.
-MU achieved victory despite hitting only two three-pointers, the fewest made in a win since 1/4/24 versus Towson (1).

NUMBERS CRUNCH



-Monmouth outperformed North Carolina A&T, 42% to 33%.

-MU surpassed the Aggies in rebounds, 41-40.

-The Hawks controlled the paint, 36-20.

-MU never trailed, holding a lead for 37:25.

UP NEXT

-Monmouth will visit Campbell on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on FloCollege, and on the radio via the Monmouth Digital Network and the Varsity Network app.