Heartbreaker: Monmouth falls to Charleston, 79-78, in OT in CAA Tournament quarterfinals

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Monmouth’s quest to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 ended the same way it ended last March, falling to Charleston in the quarterfinals at the CAA Tournament.

This time, however, it was an absolute heartbreaker at the CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C. Sunday, as Monmouth was unable to hold a lead in the final minute of regulation before missing a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of overtime, falling 79-78 to the two-time defending champions.

“When you’re in a new league, to be the champion you have to beat the champion,” Monmouth head coach King Rice said. “And we beat them in the regular season, and everyone in our locker room feels like we outplayed them, but they got the win so you have to give them credit.”

Monmouth (13-20), seeded sixth, was once again denied a spot in the semifinals by the Cougars, seeded third, despite a 24-point performance by CAA leading scorer Abdi Bashir Jr., with the sophomore guard’s six 3-pointers giving him a CAA record 127 for the season, which also tops the nation.

Monmouth’s Madison Durr guards Charleston’s CJ Fulton during a CAA Tournament quarterfinal game on March 9, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

His 3-pointer from the left wing with 42.2 seconds left in regulation gave Monmouth a 72-70 lead. But after appearing to get a stop at the defensive end, Monmouth guard Madison Durr chased a loose ball down along the baseline only to have it knocked free. The loose ball went right to Ante Brzovic inside for an easy score, tying the game with 20 seconds left.

After a timeout, Jack Collins, who finished with 15 points and went over 1,000 points for his career, missed a long, open 3-pointer in the final seconds, with the game going to overtime.

In the extra session, Monmouth got within 77-76 on Durr’s drive with 55 seconds left. But after Jaret Valencia’s block stopped a Brzovic shot at one end, Derrin Boyd poked the ball away from Bashir at the other, forcing a turnover that Charleston took advantage of,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/heartbreaker-monmouth-falls-charleston-79-033445957.html

Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press

Publish date : 2025-03-10 03:34:00

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