The Monmouth College men’s basketball team got within one late in the first half but ultimately lost to first-place Illinois College 76-42 at home on Tuesday night. The Fighting Scots (12-9, 8-4) will host Grinnell College on Saturday for Senior Day.
The Scots got on the board first as Jordan Metcalf (Aledo, Illinois) scored in the paint. Kendall Brasfield (Chicago Illinois) scored the next three for the Scots before Metcalf scored to cut the IC lead to 8-7. Brasfield gave Monmouth the lead with a tip-in of a Metcalf miss. IC scored the next four and Turner Plumer (Canton, Illinois) tied the game with a 3-pointer. Jordan Hill (Chicago, Illinois) put the Scots up 13-12 with a free throw before IC scored the next seven. Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer.
Metcalf scored Monmouth’s next three points and David Williams (Loves Park, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer for a 25-24 IC lead. The Blue Boys hit a 3-pointer to go up four as the clock went under four minutes to play in the half. After a pair of Monmouth turnovers, IC added to their lead with a 3-pointer and a 3-point play to go on top 36-24. Metcalf ended the 11-0 IC run with a free throw. The visitors scored the final four points of the half and took a 40-25 lead into the locker room.
Illinois College scored the first six points of the second half for a 46-25 lead. Williams made two free throws with the Scots down 23. The Blue Boys pushed the lead to 52-27 before HIll scored in the lane, ending a field goal drought of 10:22. Williams made a layup but IC extended the lead to 61-32 with under 10 minutes to play. Metcalf and WIlliams cut into the IC lead but the visitors got a bucket for a 67-40 lead with 5:00 left. Monmouth scored just two points the rest of the way as Declan Flynn (Monmouth, Illinois) made two free throws with 2:20 left as IC won 76-42.
Metcalf led the way with 13 points while Williams scored 10. Hill and Brasfield had five rebounds each and Taylor had two of the five Monmouth assists. Metcalf blocked two shots and Taylor had the lone Scots steal.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Monmouth leads the all-time series 74-30 but IC has won three of the last four. The Scots are 7-0 since the start of the 2017-18 season when scoring at least 61 points against IC and 0-3 when scoring 60 or less. Metcalf has scored at least 10 points in 17 games this season. The 42 points are a season low for the Scots. Senior Day is Saturday against Grinnell College with the men playing after the women’s 1 p.m. game against the Pioneers.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
