The Monmouth men’s basketball team traveled to New England on Sunday, Dec. 14 where it lost to former conference foe Fairfield on a snowy afternoon.
It was only a few years ago when a battle between the two teams would’ve been a league game. However, the Hawks (5-6) switched over from the MAAC to the CAA conference and have been playing there since the 2022-23 season. Sunday was the 22nd all time meeting between the teams, with Monmouth’s now cut to 14-8.
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This was Monmouth’s first game since facing Georgia Tech on the road. Though they dropped that game 79-67, it was another competitive outing against a high-major.
Monmouth and Fairfield (6-5) were tied 53-53 with just under 10 minutes to go, but the Stags were able to take the lead and pull away as the game progressed.
“I saw this coming all week,” head coach King Rice said. “We haven’t had a good practice all week. I’ve been a coach a long time. When you practice the way we’ve been practicing, this is what you get. And we tried to cover it up and it just didn’t go our way the last seven minutes.”
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Here are four takeaways:
1. Fairfield eats up offensive boards
Though Monmouth has good size, Fairfield caused issues on the boards. The Stags found success with offensive rebounding and finished with 16 for the game. Both teams launched a good amount of long shots which means long rebounds and Fairfield was able to score 14 second-chance points and outrebounded Monmouth 40-31.
“We didn’t box out,” Rice said. “They obviously saw something on tape, we’ve given up 20 rebounds to probably five or six teams. So if you’re a coach you watch that and think – maybe we can get ’em on the boards.”
The Stags went on a 7-0 run to extend the lead 66-57 with just under five minutes left in the game. Monmouth also began to turn the ball over more in the second half, coughing up the ball 10 times by the end of the game. Fairfield’s Brandon Benjamin (16 points, 12 rebounds), one two freshmen out of Bergen Catholic High School on the roster, got two big dunks down the stretch including a posterizer in transition. that really ignited Fairfield to finish the game strong, he finished with 16 points and 12 boards.
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Declan Wucherpfennig, also out of Bergen Catholic, finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds. He also was effective scoring on the block using post moves while grabbing boards.
Monmouth’s Jack Collins shoots a 3 against Fairfield (Dec. 14, 2025)
2. Monmouth looks fresh after long layoff
Monmouth looked to have fresh legs at the start of the game. The Hawks ran the floor the well and played defense with plenty of energy. The game was back and forth for most of the first half with six lead changes. After a couple of minutes with a slow pace, both teams would soon push the ball down the floor. Both teams picked up full court defensively, which led to open lanes and good looks. Jack Collins (8 points, 10 assists), Jason Rivera-Torres (13 points) and Jinup Dobuol each hit a deep ball in the first half.
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3. Monmouth’s bench scoring provides added boost
Monmouth’s bench provided a spark throughout the game. Cornelius Robinson III continued his strong contribution since being moved off the starting rotation and scored 14 points. Two games prior, he came up big at home against Princeton off the bench, and did the same on Sunday. Robinson used his physicality to finish around the basket and rebound efficiently and got the second half start over Ball. Dok Muordar added 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
“Cornelius is really a starter that we’ve had to get his attention by starting someone else,” Rice said.
Monmouth’s Jason Rivera-Torres shoots a 3-pointer at Fairfield (Dec. 14, 2025)
What’s next
Monmouth hasn’t won away from home since The Lafayette Classic, where it beat the host team. Monmouth’s next game will be against Quinnipiac at home on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth men’s basketball loses to Fairfield on road
