Glennie goes crazy: Men's basketball rules Midwest Conference
Seamus O'Sullivan - Staff Writer
The men's basketball team continues their dominant streak with the thrilling 73-68 victory over Illinois College on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Glennie Gymnasium. The win marks the Scott's seventh consecutive Home triumph, extending their overall winning streak and solidifies their place at the top of Midwest Conference standings with a 10-2 record.
"Going into the game, being that IC has had our number the past couple of years, just sweeping us year after year, there's something there that carries over after those losses. The guys feel it, the coach feels it, "guard, Jordan Hill said.
Declan Flynn led the charge with 20 points, helping Monmouth establish a 32–24 lead at halftime. A defining moment came at the start of the second half when freshman Cameron Thomas had a thunderous dunk that sent fans into a frenzy.
The Scots built a commanding 21-point lead, extending their advantage to 49–28, with just over 13 minutes remaining. However, the Blue Boys mounted a fierce comeback, cutting the deficit to just four points in the final minute. Monmouth remained composed down the stretch, securing the win.
The victory ended a five-game losing streak against Illinois College, and brought Monmouth’s all-time series lead to 74-29. Monmouth’s defense was a key factor in the victory. Hill highlighted the importance of applying pressure on Illinois College’s guards and controlling the rebounding battle against their athletic big men. "The message is defend like we defend night in, night out, because we know when we are applying pressure on the guards, that makes it tougher on them, "Hill said
"Rebounding was a very key message as well. They have great bigs over there at IC that are defensively gifted rebounders. They're very long and athletic, so making sure that we blocked out our man and took our assignments out of the play was the main priority.”
"We feed off of that, man, "Hill said. "We love seeing our fans come to our games and support us all year round.”
With the conference tournament approaching, Monmouth has embraced their position as one of the top teams in the Midwest Conference. "This year we took it personal. We take pride in our school.”
The Scots will look to continue their impressive run when they host Knox College on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 PM in Glennie Gymnasium. With the momentum building, Monmouth aims to strengthen their hold on the Midwest Conference, and extend their winning streak.