WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Northeastern men's basketball team (6-12, 2-5) put four players in double figures and held an eight-point halftime lead before Monmouth (9-11, 3-3) responded with a 58% shooting performance along with 27 second half points from Justin Ray to down the Huskies on Monday at OceanFirst Bank Center, 81-68.
 
Ray, who was held scoreless in the first half, went off in the final 20 minutes going 9-of-14 overall and 7-of-10 from deep to lead the Hawks to the comeback. Monmouth, which while converted 18 Northeastern turnovers into 24 points, found its rhythm in the second half, bouncing back from a 13-of-36 (36%) first half start to go 19-of-33 in the second half.
 
Northeastern, meanwhile, was led by 15 points from Mike Loughnane on 6-of-12 from the field along with a team-high seven rebounds. The Huskies began the game 50% in the opening half before being held to just 14-of-36 in the final 20 minutes to finish 44% overall. Loughnane was joined by Xavier Abreu (13 points), William Kermoury (11) and Luca Soroa Schaller as the other Huskies to reach double digits.
 
It was a first half of runs as Northeastern started and finished fast, opening on a 12-2 run highlighted by a pair of triples from Loughnane to give the visitors a 10-point lead early. Monmouth chipped away, though, using a 10-2 run of its own to take a one-point lead with 7:38 until the break, 22-21.
 
Abreu went to work from there, leading the Huskies on a 15-2 run to go back ahead before heading into the locker room with a 38-30 lead. NU shot 50% overall, led by eight points from Loughnane and seven from Abreu.
 
Monmouth snatched control of the game right from the start of the second half, opening on a 12-3 run and never looking back. The Hawks used another run, this one 17-2, to go up by double digits and lead by as many as 19 thanks to the 27 second half points from Ray.
 
The Huskies will be back in the Cabot Center on Thursday night when Northeastern hosts Stony Brook. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on FloCollege.