West Long Branch, NJ - Tyler Thomas had 24 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 21 but Monmouth rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat the Hofstra men's basketball team, 81-78, on Saturday afternoon at OceanFirst Bank Center. 

The loss ends a three-game win streak for Hofstra, which dropped to 11-10 and 4-4 in league play. Monmouth improved to 11-10 and 4-4 in CAA action. 

Hofstra opened up an early 8-2 lead in the contest and would take a 10-point lead later in the half at 34-24 following a three-pointer from Dubar. A basket from Thomas with 1:21 left in the opening 20 minutes gave the Pride its largest lead of the game at 47-34 before Hofstra settled in for a 12-point lead after a pair of free throws from Jaquan Carlos with 17 seconds remaining. Hofstra hit 11 three-pointers in the first half to help the offensive surge. 

Thomas hit a three-pointer at the 16:34 mark of the second stanza to make it 57-47 before Monmouth began to rally. The Hawks scored seven straight to close the gap to three and would eventually tie the score at 63 on a free throw with just over eight minutes remaining. 

Trailing by two, 65-63, Monmouth scored 10 of the game's next 13 points to earn a 73-68 advantage with 4:18 left following a free throw from Cornelius Robinson Jr. 

A hectic final few moments would see Thomas hit a three-pointer with 43 seconds left to make it a two-point game. After a Monmouth turnover, Bryce Washington hit a pair of free throws to even the score at 78. 

Monmouth would have the final possession and Xander Rice was fouled shooting a three-pointer with two seconds left and hit all three free throws for the final margin. 

Carlos finished with six points, four rebounds, and eight assists, while Washington added seven points and seven rebounds. Jacco Fritz had six points and six rebounds for the Pride. 

Rice led all scorers with 31 points and added five assists, while Jaret Valencia chipped in with 15 points for the Hawks. 

Hofstra is home for its next two games, taking on Stony Brook on Thursday and Towson on Saturday. On Thursday, Hofstra will honor its nearly 400 student-athletes on Academic Excellence Night and Saturday will be the Pride's annual Winter Homecoming game. Large crowds are expected for both games. For ticket information visit HofstraTickets.com, call (516) HOF-TIXX, or stop by the Hofstra Athletics Ticket Office in the lobby of the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex during normal business hours. 

NOTES
- Today was the 15th all-time meeting between Hofstra and Monmouth in men's basketball. The Pride leads the series, 8-7. Hofstra had won seven straight in the series prior to today's contest. 
- Dubar moved into 33rd place all-time in scoring at Hofstra with 1,131 points. Thomas moved into 40th place all-time in scoring at Hofstra with 1,027 points.