Brown, McNally both top 20 points to kick off 2025
The Monmouth College men’s basketball team rallied from seven points down with 2:00 to play to beat Rockford 86-83 in overtime to kickoff 2025. The Fighting Scots (8-3) made six free throws in overtime and held on to win as the Regents missed at the buzzer.
Zay Brown (Peoria, Illinois) got the scoring started on the first possession but the Regents scored the next five points. Brown tied the game with a 3-pointer and Jordan Hill (Chicago, Illinois) put the Scots up 7-5. Rockford hit two straight 3-pointers and led 13-7 when Turner Plumer (Canton, Illinois) scored in the paint. Declan Flynn (Monmouth, Illinois) scored in the paint and then hit a 3-pointer for a personal 5-0 run, trimming the Rockford lead to 15-14. Brown scored four in a row but Rockford went on a 7-0 run to lead 22-18. Brennen McNally (Paw Paw, Illinois) ended the run with a driving layup and Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) hit a mid-range jumper.
Monmouth used defense to take the lead as Taylor stole the ball at mid-court and hit McNally for a 1-handed dunk. Ganon Greenman (Alpha, Illinois) scored in traffic and McNally hit a corner 3-pointer for a 29-23 Monmouth lead. Flynn pushed the run to 7-0 but Rockford responded with seven straight and Monmouth led 31-30 with 4:02 to play in the half. Out of a timeout, Taylor drilled a 3-pointer and Brown hit a long jumper. Max Maring (Port Byron, Illinois) made a free throw before the teams traded baskets in the last minute of the half for a 37-34 Scots lead.
Rockford took the lead with a 9-0 run to start the second half and Monmouth called timeout. The Regents pushed the run to 12 straight with another 3-pointer before Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer from the wing. McNally cut the Rockford lead to 46-42 with a free-throw line jumper but the Regents responded with a 3-point play. Hill scored four points on the same possession with two layups to cut the RU lead to 49-46. Rockford hit another 3-pointer before Greenman hit a free throw. Hill made a free throw and a jumper to cut the lead to two.
McNally hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put the Scots up 56-55. Rockford regained the lead with a 3-pointer before Huber scored. Maring tied the game at 60 with a layup but the Regents scored the next four points. McNally scored again on a baseline layup but Rockford pushed the lead to 69-62 with another 3-pointer, their sixth of the half. Down nine, Monmouth called timeout with 4:50 to play and Brown scored a transition layup and added a free throw for a 3-point play. Brown had another 3-point play with 3:26 left to cut the Rockford lead to 73-68. Rockford missed two free throws but Monmouth turned the ball over. Brown scored again in transition but Rockford led 75-70 with 1:00 to play. Taylor made two free throws but so did the Regents and Monmouth called timeout with 45 seconds left. Brown scored on a putback with 35 seconds left to make it a 3-point game. Rockford missed a free throw and Monmouth cut the Regents lead to 77-76 on a putback by McNally. Rockford split free throws and Brown tied the game with five seconds left. Rockford missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, tied at 78.
Monmouth took their first lead since early in the second half when McNally scored on the first possession of overtime with another 1-handed dunk. McNally fouled out and Rockford took an 81-80 lead with free throws. Brown tied the game with a free throw and Taylor gave the Scots an 83-81 lead with two free throws. Rockford game up empty and Hill made a free throw with 46.6 seconds left. The Regents missed again and Taylor split free throws for an 85-81 lead. Rockford scored with 5.6 seconds left and called a timeout. Huber made a free throw and Rockford wildly missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 86-83 Monmouth win.
Brown led the Scots with 24 points and McNally scored a career-high 21. Hill and Taylor were both in double figures with 10 points each. Brown led the way with 13 rebounds and a career-high three blocks. Taylor and Flynn had three assists each and Taylor added three steals.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Brown has scored at least 10 points in 10 games this season … He topped 20 points for the second time, both at home … He also posted his second double-double of the season and had a career-high three blocks … McNally had been 0-2 on 3-pointers this season before hitting his first three on Wednesday … He scored a career-high 19 points, surpassing his previous high of 12 from Jan. 6, 2024 at Beloit … Taylor is 39-for-43 (.907) at the free throw line this season after going 5-for-6 on Wednesday … Dating back to Dec. 8, he made 16 free throws in a row before missing in overtime … He ranks 19th in all of D3 in free throw percentage … The game had 12 lead changes and eight ties … The teams hadn’t met since the 2021-22 season and Monmouth leads the all-time series 2-1 … The Scots went 5-3 in non-conference action this season … The Scots return to Midwest Conference action on Saturday with a game at Illinois College after the 1 p.m. women’s game … The next home game is Saturday, Jan 18 against Ripon.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
