Location: The MAC – West Long Branch, N.J.

Starters:  G - #1 Malcolm McMillan; G - #5 Kassius Robertson, G - #23 Jamal Reynolds, F - #22 Phil Valenti, C - #14 Kevin Bleeker

Game Recap
The Canisius men's basketball team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with an 81-66 loss at Monmouth Monday night in West Long Branch, N.J. The Hawks moved to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in MAAC play with the win, while the Golden Griffins fell to 7-7 overall and 2-2 in league play.

Monmouth took control of the game early, outscoring Canisius 19-4 in the game's first 6:17. Monmouth junior Justin Robinson scored a game-high 25 points for the Hawks, his ninth game of 20 or more points of the season, while teammate Collin Stewart came off the bench to add 14 points. Monmouth shot 54.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point land in the win, while the Blue and Gold struggled from the field, shooting just 32.2 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point range.

Four Griffs scored in double-figures, led by sophomore Jermaine Crumpton, who had 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Senior Malcolm McMillan added 13 points, while sophomore Kassius Robertson chipped in 12 points and two assists to the losing cause. Junior Phil Valenti had 10 points and seven rebounds, while senior Kevin Bleeker was also credited with seven boards. The loss for the Griffs was the team's first since Dec. 12 at Kent State.

How It Happened:
• Monmouth took an early 19-4 lead and never looked back. The Hawks led 5-4 after Jamal Reynolds hit one of two from the free-throw line, but a quick 14-0 run by the home team put the game out of reach early.
• Monmouth shot 53.3 percent from the field in the first half, while Canisius shot just 22.2 percent from the floor in the game's first 20 minutes. 
• In the second half, Canisius was able to whittle the Hawks' lead down to 10 at 52-42 with 12:54 left to play, but the Hawks put the game away with a 13-2 run over the span of 2:53, with six points coming from Stewart on back-to-back 3-point field goals.

Beyond the Box Score:
• The 15-point loss was the Griffs' largest margin of defeat this season.
• After making a season-high 16 3-pointers when the teams met in Buffalo Dec. 4, Canisius connected on a season-low seven treys in the loss.
• Canisius shot a season-low 63.6 percent (21-for-33) from the free-throw line.
• Canisius was able to turn 17 Monmouth turnovers into 22 points. The Griffs were charged with eight turnovers on the night.

Quotes from Canisius coach Jim Baron
"Monmouth is a good team. They've been sitting here waiting for us and we are coming off an emotional road win up at Marist. They made shots and we missed way too many shots. It's that simple."
"We didn't do a good job at the free-throw line, especially in the first half when we had a chance to cut their lead. They took those misses and turned them into points at the other end of the floor. It was a bad cycle for us."

Additional Game Notes:
• This was the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs, with Monmouth holding a 5-2 lead in the series.
• Canisius is 0-3 all-time in Monmouth's home building.
• Canisius, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with the loss, has not won five-straight games since the 2006-07 season.
• Robertson's string of games with 20-plus points scored came to an end in the loss.
• Canisius had 13 assists on 19 makes from the field, led by McMillan and freshman Chris Atkinson, who had three assists each.

Up Next: Canisius will return home to play host to defending MAAC champion Manhattan at the Koessler Athletic Center on Thursday, Jan. 7. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with the radio call provided on Timeless WECK 1230-AM and 102.9-FM in Buffalo and through GoGriffs.com.