WEST LONG BRANCH -- Last time the Monmouth men's basketball was on its home floor, it pulled out an exciting close win, and the Hawks did the same thing Wednesday, Dec. 3 over the Princeton Tigers.
Monmouth beat Princeton 63-58, showing poise when the game got tense. Princeton had the ball down three points with 30 seconds left; Monmouth forced a miss and Jason Torres-Rivera got the rebound and was fouled. He hit two free throws to close it out and finished with a team-high 20 points to go with 5 boards. It was Rivera-Torres's third straight 20-point game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I come back at night with my little guy and Jason's in here shooting," Monmouth head coach King Rice said. "He's just put in a tremendous amount of time in, he's a junior. You got to remember Jason started at Vanderbilt as a freshman. He started games in the SEC two years ago, so just natural progression - he's going to be a baller."
Monmouth moved to 5-4. Princeton, playing without leading scorer Dalen Davis for the fifth straight game (sprained ankle), fell to 3-8.
PREGAME: Monmouth basketball catching Princeton at a good time after winning 2 of 3
Monmouth's Jason Rivera-Torres celebrates a made basket vs Princeton (Dec. 3, 2025)Monmouth finds success with pushed tempo
At the start of the game, it was mostly back and forth, until Monmouth began pushing the ball down the floor. The Hawks went on a 7-0 run and closed the first half with another 6-0 run spurt to regain the lead. Monmouth scored 21 points off the fast break.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGuys such as Andrew Ball, Cornelius Robinson III, and Rivera-Torres found success in the paint while Jack Collins continued to warm up to point guard duties.
"I would really like getting the ball to everyone else," Collins said. "I'm trying my best and I think I'm doing an OK job, I'm just turning the ball over too much."
Defensively, the Hawks were able to cause turnovers in the back court. The on-ball pressure forced the Tigers to cough up the ball 19 times and Monmouth scored 23 points off of turnovers.
"We're pressuring more this year," Rice said. "We're trying to pressure you up the floor. So when we score, or if there's a dead ball, we're picking you up full court and we're making whoever you have in there work bringing it up the floor. What does that do? Everyone thinks you have to steal the ball; you don't have to steal the ball. You want to put pressure, and then with the pressure, you might make a pass and it might be off an inch, now the defense can get one."
Monmouth's Cornelius Robinson III makes move against Princeton player (Dec. 3, 2025)Cornelius Robinson III brings spark off the bench
With Ball making his second start of the season on Wednesday, junior Cornelius Robinson is relegated to the second unit and he provided much needed energy from off the bench. The Jersey native used his athleticism around the rim to get strong finishes and rebound on offense.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRobinson got a big and-1 to put the Hawks in the lead with 11:25 left in the game. He finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
"That's what we need from him," Rice said. "That is how he became the starting four man last year and this is just how kids go. He was rebounding, and not worrying about shots and all of a sudden he's the starter last year. And he averaged 11 (points) and 8 (rebounds) in our last like 14 games. When a kid comes back, what is he thinking, he's thinking 'oh, I averaged 11 and 8, I'm going to get 16 and 14 now.' Well then he comes in expecting different things, doesn't play like his self, then all of a sudden he's not guarding like his self and now we got to make some changes. He didn't like it at all. He's been really mad about it and it's OK because I'm here to help him be the best version of his self."
"Today, we don't win the game without him, without his defense," Rice said.
Monmouth's Justin Ray goes for layup against Princeton (Dec. 3, 2025)Princeton's balanced defense and offense
Though the Hawks led for most of the game, the Tigers kept fighting back. Defensively, Princeton stayed in front of Hawks' players, forcing contested shots. On offense, they didn't gain any style points in the way they played but used backcuts when overplayed, kick outs to shooters and drop steps on the block. Monmouth possessed more athleticism and size but the Tigers kept level-headed and didn't panic, especially when Monmouth went on runs to extend leads, Princeton stayed calm and stuck to its game plan. CJ Happy finished with 20 points and hit 4 deep shots.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was also Monmouth's first time this season holding an opponent under 60 points.
"They kept getting us on back doors until the second half until Cornelius was in - he probably stole like three or four of them," Rice said. "They had a bunch of turnovers, Princeton doesn't have a bunch of turnovers like that so our defense must be getting better."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth men's basketball beats Princeton
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