The Monmouth College men’s basketball team led wire-to-wire with three players in double figures as they won 81-58 at Westminster on Tuesday night. The Fighting Scots (3-1) have scored at least 81 points in three straight games and return home to face Eureka Saturday afternoon.
Max Maring (Port Byron, Illinois) scored the first basket and Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) converted a 3-point play off a steal. Maring scored again and Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) hit a free throw before birthday boy Cam Thomas (Arlington, Texas) scored off a steal. Zay Brown (Peoria, Illinois) made it 14-2 with a jumper and Thomas drilled a 3-pointer for a 19-4 lead. Jase Whiteman (Andalusia, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer before Brown and Maring scored. Taylor scored five straight points for a 31-12 lead and Thomas knocked down another 3-pointer. Jay Brown (Lansing, Illinois) scored four straight points and Taylor made a free throw for a 44-27 halftime lead.
The Blue Jays cut the lead to nine early in the second half before Zay Brown scored in the lane and hit a 3-pointer. Connor Watson (Macomb, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer for a 58-39 lead before the teams traded buckets. Westminster got within 14 before Payton Crims (Alsip, Illinois) made two free throws and Thomas scored. Maring made it 69-51 with 3:01 to play when he scored on a putback. Thomas knocked down a 3-pointer for a 20-point lead and Crims scored off a turnover. Thomas hit a final 3-pointer for a 79-55 lead and Adam Waite (Earlville, Illinois) scored the final points for an 81-58 win.
Thomas led the way with 20 points while Zay Brown and Maring both scored 13. Jay Brown added eight points, as did Huber, while Taylor had seven. Maring led the Scots with eight rebounds, one more than Zay Brown and Taylor. Maring had three blocks while three Scots had two steals each.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Zay Brown has been in double digits in all four games this season with at least seven rebounds in each games … Thomas celebrated his birthday with a season-high 20 points and he has scored at least nine points in all four games this season … Jay Brown had a career-high eight points … Waite and Watson scored their first career Monmouth points … Waite, Ryan Meyer (Arlington Heights, Illinois), Nick Plesko (Streator, Illinois) and O’Cien Valdes (Homestead, Florida) all made their collegiate debuts … The Scots shot 51.6% from the field in the first half, including 61.5% from 3-point range … Overall the Scots made 8-of-23 from behind the arc and 11-for-17 at the line … The Scots only committed eight turnovers while forcing 17 … Monmouth was +2 on the glass and +16 on points in the paint … Monmouth leads the all-time series 6-1 including five straight wins under Coach Skrivseth … The Scots are home on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Eureka … The game time was changed on Monday. After the Monmouth football team received a bye in the NCAA Playoffs.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
