West Long Branch, NJ - Hofstra placed three players in double figures, led by Jalen Ray's 19 points, and led by double-digits for the majority of the game before holding off a late second half rally by the Hawks in a 77-71 road victory over Monmouth Wednesday night at the OceanFirst Bank Center. Monmouth cut an 18-point deficit to just three with under three minutes to play.

Hofstra, which won for the third consecutive game, moved to 8-5 on the season. Monmouth saw its three-game winning streak halted and slipped to 10-3.

Ray, who connected on five three-pointers on the night, also added six rebounds and five assists. Omar Silverio and Darlinstone Dubar joined Ray in double-figures with 15 points each. Silverio also contributed four rebounds and four assists, while Dubar pulled down five rebounds. Abayomi Iyiola had nine points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.  

The Hawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes and led 9-3 after three minutes before the Pride stormed back with an 11-0 run to take a 14-9 lead with 14:47 to play in the opening stanza. Four different players scored for Hofstra in the run with Ray, Silverio, and Dubar sinking three-pointers and Iyiola adding a jumper. The Pride would lead by as many as 18, the last time at 40-22, with 5:46 to play following a fast break layup from Silverio. Monmouth would close the half on a 12-6 run as the Pride led, 46-34 at the break.

Hofstra would open the second half on a 9-3 run over the first 3:23 to lead by 18, 55-37, after Silverio's three-pointer with 16:37 on the clock. The Pride would lead 65-47 with 11:54 to play when Monmouth mounted a comeback attempt. The Hawks would outscore the Pride, 21-6, over the next nine minutes to trail by just three, 71-68 with 2:53 on the clock.

However, that was as close as Monmouth would get as the Pride pulled down defensive rebounds on two missed shots from Monmouth around a Kvonn Cramer layup. Dubar sank two free throws to extend the lead to seven, 75-68, with just under a minute to play. Monmouth would get a three-pointer from Walker Miller to make it a four-point game. The Hawks missed a three-pointer on its next possession and Dubar sealed the win with two more free throws with eight ticks remaining.

Miller led all scorers with 26 points. Shavar Reynolds had 16 points for the Hawks, while Marcus McClary added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Hofstra will have a week off before returning to action on December 29 at William & Mary in the Colonial Athletic Association opener. Game time in Williamsburg, Virginia, is 7 p.m.

Notes:
-The series between Hofstra and Monmouth is tied, 6-6, with the Pride winning five consecutive meetings.
-Tonight marked the Pride's final non-conference game.
-Hofstra was 16-18 (.889) from the line and is 36-41 (.878) over the last two games.
-Aaron Estrada had nine points and four rebounds for the Pride.