BY DOMINICK RINELLI JR.

Correspondent

The Monmouth University Hawks men’s basketball team is off to a 5-2 start as they look to win the Northeast Conference after an early exit in last year’s NEC tournament.

The schedule this season for the Hawks includes competing against three Big East teams — Boston College, Seton Hall and Rutgers — while they will also face Princeton.

Opening the season, the Hawks traveled to the University of the Virgin Islands, where the team competed in the Paradise Jam Tournament. In the opening round game against Appalachian State on Nov. 21, the Hawks pulled off a victory with a score of 69-65. Senior Brian Boxler, Blake Hamilton and CBA graduate Chris Kenny each had 12 points in the contest. Despite racking up 20 offensive rebounds to Monmouth’s seven, Appalachian State was unable to score on many second-chance opportunities.

In the second round of the Paradise Jam Tournament, the Hawks faced the Eagles of Boston College on Nov. 23. The Blue and White fell short, losing 60-50, but showed promise as they were able to get within two points, 42-40 with 5:13 to go in the game, before BC went on a 20-8 run to seal the victory.

Starters Brian Boxler and Dwayne Byfield both suffered injuries and were taken out of the contest. Another setback for the Hawks came when Hamilton fouled out, causing a lack of defensive presence in the lane.

Head Coach Dave Calloway said the injuries took their toll on the Hawks’ effort

"It’s tough to finish a game without those guys," he said. "We had two freshmen in the contest (Marques Alston and Deki Delic) at the end, and they did make some freshmen mistakes. It was a good experience for them, and it will definitely help us in the future."

After losing to Boston College, Monmouth faced Hampton University in a third-place match, and were able to defeat the Pirates, 64-52. The Hawks came back from a 39-21 deficit, with 18:49 to go in the game, to get the win. Kenny led the Hawks in scoring with 14 points, while Hamilton contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, and Alston, an All-State performer at Neptune High School, had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals.

The Hawks set two Paradise Jam Tournament records with the largest deficit overcome of 18 points and the longest unanswered run of 21 points. Hamilton was named to the all-tournament team.

Commenting on the remarkable second-half comeback, coach Calloway said, "I’ve been here 16 years, and this second half was the best second half I’ve ever seen this team play."

Returning from their trip to the Virgin Islands, the Hawks faced St. Peter’s College in Jersey City on Nov. 29, where they were unable to stop a virtual shooting clinic, as the Peacocks connected on 10 three-pointers, nine of which came in the first half. The Hawks went on to lose by a final of 76-63, despite Hamilton’s team-high 22 points. Kenny added 12 points and Alston contributed 11 for the Hawks in the loss, but could not match the Peacocks, who had five players who scored in double figures.

On Dec. 2, the Hawks headed to Albany to face Siena College in the Pepsi Arena with 5,000 fans in attendance. Monmouth put on their own clinic as they connected on 14 three-pointers to defeat Siena by a final of 89-76. Byfield led both teams with 21 points, including three of six from three-point land, as Kenny added another dozen for the Hawks. Eight different players for Monmouth hit a three-point field goal, and set a new school record in the process.

"We came out and made shots early and did a good job defensively," Calloway said. "Then in the second half, things really opened up. We made a bunch of shots in a row and made a nice run."

Monmouth was supposed to travel to face Rutgers University on Dec. 6 but, due to the inclement weather, the game has been rescheduled for Jan. 13. In addition, the home game vs. Sacred Heart originally scheduled for Jan. 14 has been moved to Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.

Following the win over Siena, the Hawks won their home opener over Hofstra University on Dec. 10 at Boylan Gym in West Long Branch. Chris Kenny led the Hawks to an 87-79 victory with a career-high 22 points. Monmouth continued to successfully drain three-pointers as they shot 11 of 26 from long distance. Forward Brian Boxler added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Blake Hamilton scored 18 points. Byfield added 11 points of his own, while Kaplan added nine points, six assists and five rebounds.

Next up was the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Dec. 13. The Hawks defeated UMKC by a score of 82-67, giving them a three-game winning streak, as well as keeping them undefeated at home. After Dwayne Byfield scored a three-pointer, the Hawks were up 5-4 with 16:45 to go in the first half, and they would not trail during the rest of the way. Monmouth went on a 16-5 run, increasing their lead to 27-15 with 6:36 to go in the first half. At the half, Monmouth was up 36-22. Attempting to comeback, the Kangaroos cut the deficit to eight points but could not get any closer. Blake Hamilton led the Blue and White with 27 points, as he was a perfect nine-for-nine from the field and eight-for-eight from the free throw line. Hamilton added seven rebounds as Monmouth out-rebounded UMKC 39-33. The Hawks shot 50 percent in the contest by shooting 30-of-60 for the game. Russ Anderson contributed 11 points and Brian Boxler had a total of 10 points and seven assists.

Through the first month of season, the Hawks’ 5-2 mark illustrates how well they have played in the early going. With a difficult schedule ahead of them, the Hawks will have ample opportunity to prove that their solid early-season play is a promise of things to come.

The Hawks are back in competition on Sunday as they host Rider University at Boylan Gym at 4 p.m. They then travel to Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford to face the Seton Hall Pirates on Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.