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Monmouth basketball now 3-0 with newcomer Kavion McClain. 3 takeaways
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- Monmouth basketball now 3-0 with newcomer Kavion McClain. 3 takeaways
WEST LONG BRANCH -- For the first time this season the Monmouth men's basketball team has put together a three-game winning streak, getting there with nail-biter 72-71 victory over Towson.
Despite the visiting Tigers holding the lead for over 30 minutes of the game on Sunday night, Feb. 15, it was a Justin Ray 3-pointer in the corner off an assist by Kavion McClain to put the Hawks on top with 27.8 left to make the final score. Towson would miss two free throws and a last second heave was also no good.
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"Coach drew up a play with a bunch of options and KV (Kavion) being a veteran reads the floor really well and I just happened to be open," Ray said. "And I mean, I put the work in everyday and coach instills the confidence in me to make that shot."
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Ray didn't hesitate to shoot all game and it showed on the stat sheet. He hit three shots from deep. With McClain being cleared to play and back for the past three games, Ray has been coming off the bench, but he said "it's not about who starts the game, it's about who finishes it."
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"He's supposed to shoot on the catch," Monmouth head coach King Rice said on Ray. "Sometimes he pump fakes and tonight he did not. So he did it on the catch and that should show him there's a reason we tell him on the catch. This man shoots the ball. I just had Abdi (Bashir Jr.) last year who shoots as well as anybody, he's close."
Now that Monmouth has gotten its true point guard in McClain back from an NCAA suspension, they've won all three games with the new lineup. McClain led the Hawks with 17 points and 5 assists. Ray finished with 15 points off the bench. Jason Rivera-Torres had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Monmouth sits third in the conference with a 14-12 overall record, 8-5 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play.
"What it does is it should give us confidence 'cause if we finish in the right place in this league you gotta win three to be the champs," Rice said. "So now that we've won three we know that we can do it. But this was a big one."
3 TAKEAWAYS
Monmouth's Jason Rivera-Torres against Towson defender (Feb. 15, 2026)
1. Monmouth's strong defense without fouling
Throughout the season Monmouth has struggled at times to play physical defense without fouling. That changed. Monmouth also forced the Tigers to commit 11 turnovers in the first half, and 16 in the game.
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Still, there was little success containing Towson's Dylan Williamson, who was scorching hot all game - 19 points in just the first half enroute to 27; and Teaneck native Tyler Tejada added 16 points.
2. Health watch
It's the final stretch of the regular season which means durability has become more significant. Three Monmouth players were inactive against Towson. 7-foot-1 center Dok Muordar, O'Marion Harvey, and Zubayr Griffin were all out with lower body injuries but are expected to be back soon. Jack Collins also has a tear in his knee and has been playing under restricted minutes and a wrap around his right knee. Andrew Ball also checked out the game with 7:12 left in the second half after a collision that left him lumping, he would return minutes later but still visibly limping.
The CAA Tournament is next month. Though Monmouth will position for a higher spot in the standings, keeping a healthy roster is paramount.
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"I've been saying all year it takes all of us," Rice said. "It's gonna take all of us... We need Dok against Towson and Dok didn't play tonight, his knee is hurting and he's dealing with some stuff. Zubayr got hurt last week, he's getting an MRI on his knee. Yesterday, O'Marion fell and hurt is hip so now he's out. So Dok, O'Marion and Zubayr out...Jack limited minutes, Andrew gets hurt and now he's limping. But we're a resilient group. Jack Collins is getting better everyday. So we'll have enough guys to finish it strongly. We got Kavion, his legs are getting underneath him but he made some big shots down the stretch."
Monmouth's Kavion McClain against Towson (Feb. 15, 2026)
3. Madison Durr and UNCW next
Next up for Monmouth is conference leader UNC Wilmington on Thursday, Feb. 19 - which means against former Hawk Madison Durr, the Hawks' starting point guard last year.
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It's a touch patch of schedule Monmouth has heated up at the right time of the season.
Rice said of Durr: "Madison and I have been talking but we haven't talked in the last couple of week 'cause he hasn't called me back, but he's still one of our kids even though he's on the other team. So it's going to be a fun game."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth basketball, Kavion McClain beat Towson 72-71 for 3rd straight
