Monmouth Hawks vs Niagara Purple Eagles
Monmouth has late surge, beats Niagara 76-72 in MAAC tourney
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Ray Salnave scored 20 points and Monmouth beat Niagara 76-72 on Thursday night in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.
The game was tied at 69 with 2:30 to play. Salnave and Louie Pillari made consecutive jump shots, Salnave added a free throw and the Hawks led 74-69 with 1:07 remaining. Raheem Solomon's 3-pointer pulled Niagara to within 74-72. After Marcus McClary's free throw made it 75-72, Marvin Prochet missed a potential tying 3-pointer with three seconds left.
Pillari finished with 15 points and Diago Quinn added 14 for sixth-seeded Monmouth (12-20), which plays third-seeded Quinnipiac in a quarterfinal on Saturday.
Solomon made five 3-pointers and scored 24 points to lead No. 11 seed Niagara (13-19). Deion Hammond had 15 points and Prochet chipped in 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Game Information
Albany, NY
Referee:Mike Kitts
Referee:Earl Walton
Referee:Jeff Anderson
2025-26 Standings
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack | 17-3 | - | 23-11 |
| Saint Peter's | 14-6 | 3 | 17-12 |
| Siena | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
| Marist | 12-8 | 5 | 19-12 |
| Quinnipiac | 12-8 | 5 | 19-13 |
| Fairfield | 11-9 | 6 | 21-13 |
| Mount St. Mary's | 11-9 | 6 | 15-17 |
| Iona | 10-10 | 7 | 18-14 |
| Sacred Heart | 9-11 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Manhattan | 8-12 | 9 | 12-20 |
| Canisius | 5-15 | 12 | 10-21 |
| Niagara | 5-15 | 12 | 8-22 |
| Rider | 3-17 | 14 | 4-25 |
| Coastal Athletic Association | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Wilmington | 15-3 | - | 27-7 |
| Charleston | 14-4 | 1 | 21-11 |
| Hofstra | 12-6 | 3 | 24-11 |
| Monmouth | 11-7 | 4 | 19-15 |
| William & Mary | 10-8 | 5 | 20-12 |
| Drexel | 10-8 | 5 | 17-16 |
| Towson | 9-9 | 6 | 19-15 |
| Stony Brook | 9-9 | 6 | 17-15 |
| Campbell | 8-10 | 7 | 16-18 |
| Hampton | 7-11 | 8 | 13-19 |
| Elon | 6-12 | 9 | 14-18 |
| North Carolina A&T | 4-14 | 11 | 11-19 |
| Northeastern | 2-16 | 13 | 7-24 |
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