Fighting Scots 2003-04 Basketball Game Summaries

Feb. 21 vs. Knox College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 103, Knox 84 (9-14, 4-12)
Among the many chants performed by the largest Monmouth crowd of the season was "You can't stop him!," recited at different points of the game in praise of Anthony Beaird and Troy Bennett. Beaird sank eight three-pointers and also made all 10 of his free throws en route to a 34-point night, while Bennett capped his outstanding career with a 28-point effort, making 12-of-16 shots from the field. Bennett, whose last points as a Fighting Scot came on a high-flying dunk, finished his four-plus-year career with 1,086 points to rank as the 13th-leading scorer in MC history. Beaird got the Scots off to a great start, sandwiching two treys around a Travis Miller trifecta for a 9-0 lead, and Knox could only get as close as six points the rest of the way. The latter stages of the game were marred by four Knox technicals, and Monmouth made the Fire pay, converting, in all, 17-of-19 second half free throws. The Fire were led by Brandon Dimartino's 20 points off the bench.

Feb. 18 vs. Lake Forest College, Monmouth, Ill.
Lake Forest 82, Monmouth 76 OT (8-14, 3-12)
The visiting Foresters moved into strong playoff contention with a gritty second-half comeback combined with a loss by fourth-place St. Norbert. Monmouth led 37-29 at halftime and by as many as 13 points in the second half, but the Foresters would not go away. After taking a 65-58 lead with just over five minutes to play on a Travis Miller basket, the Scots would only score one more hoop in regulation. Eric McDonald forced overtime with a putback of his own miss with 10 seconds to play. In the extra session, Anthony Beaird scored eight points on MC's first four possessions, but Franklyn Beckford gave Lake Forest its first lead since early in the game with a lay-in with 1:40 to play and Greg Klos, who scored eight of his team-high 23 points in the overtime, added two free throws with under a minute to play. The Scots missed their last six field goals in OT. Despite the loss, Monmouth's Jason Murren set a school record, blocking eight shots, seven of them in the first half to tie the previous school mark. Troy Bennett scored 20 points for MC and Beaird added 17, while McDonald had 23 for Lake Forest and Beckford netted 19.

Feb. 14 vs. Illinois College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 68, Illinois C. 59 (8-13, 3-11)
A 16-2 run late in the first half gave the Fighting Scots control of their rematch with Illinois College. The Scots squandered a 14-point lead the first time they met the Blueboys this season, but after taking a 39-23 halftime lead, they were able to hold off IC's second-half comeback bids, never letting the visitors get closer than five points. Troy Bennett made all 10 of his free throw attempts to lead Monmouth with 22 points and Rob Purlee provided a spark off the bench, scoring 19, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer at halftime. Jason Murren had the type of game that MC has been waiting for, making five steals and blocking two shots to go with six points and six rebounds. 

Feb. 10 vs. Concordia-River Forest, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 80, CURF 50 (7-13)
The Fighting Scots used a 15-0 run to take control of the game midway through the first half, and the outcome was never in doubt after that. Travis Miller scored three straight unassisted hoops to fuel the run, which also included a pair of treys by Anthony Beaird. After surrendering the first hoop of the second half, the Scots were at it again, scoring 16 more consecutive points, capped by two Troy Bennett free throws with 13:29 remaining that made the score 57-26. With the Scots leading 62-31, coach Terry Glasgow emptied his bench, and two players, Kevin Conrad and Tyler Gumm, scored the first baskets of their MC careers. Rob Purlee led the Scots with 17 points, Miller had 16, Beaird scored 11 and Bennett had 10.

Feb. 7 at St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wis.
St. Norbert 73, Monmouth 65 (6-13, 2-11)
Monmouth's Troy Bennett reached a career milestone, scoring his 1,000th point, but it wasn't enough to prevent another tough loss in Wisconsin. Bennett & Co. led the Green Knights 30-27 at halftime, but the hosts caught fire, making 15-of-21 field goals and 14-of-16 free throws after the break. SNC made its last nine free throws to preserve a 60-57 lead it had taken with 3:03 to play. Travis Miller led the Scots with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Bennett finished with 18 points to move to 1,006 for his career. He becomes the 19th player in MC men's history to reach the milestone. Brandon Hansen led St. Norbert with 25 points.

Feb. 6 at Carroll College, Waukesha, Wis.
Carroll 71, Monmouth 65 (6-12, 2-10)
For the second time in three weeks, the Scots battled one of the league's top teams fairly close, but the host Pioneers held on to complete the season sweep. Monmouth trailed 35-23 at halftime but scored the first nine points of the second half and was in the game the rest of the way. Rob Purlee led the Scots with 15 points off the bench and Troy Bennett and Travis Miller added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Bennett will enter tomorrow's game at St. Norbert with 988 career points at MC. Jason Scheper scored a game-high 25 points for Carroll, including four straight free throws in the final 3:28.

Feb. 3 at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell 152, Monmouth 76 (6-11, 2-9)
Just three days after a stirring victory that made the Fighting Scots the top story on the d3hoops.com Web site, Monmouth suffered its second-worst defeat in school history, falling by 76 points to the high-scoring Pioneers. About the only good news for the Scots was that they avoided their worst-ever defeat, which remains a 122-43 loss to a national-caliber Beloit team in 1950. MC regulars Rob Purlee and Travis Miller played only 18 minutes combined, and Troy Bennett, who normally has huge games vs. Grinnell, scored just 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Monmouth was led by freshman Josh Reschke, who scored 22 points. Grinnell All-American Steve Wood netted 43 points in 18 minutes and is now his school's all-time leading scorer with 2,230. 

Jan. 31 vs. Lawrence University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 93, Lawrence 85 OT (6-10, 2-8)
Behind the tremendous clutch shooting of reserve guard Tyler Snyder, the Fighting Scots stunned the nation's 10th-ranked team. Lawrence led 63-59 after a free throw with 4:13 remaining in regulation when Snyder took over. The senior southpaw knocked down three treys and two free throws on the Scots' next four possessions, giving Monmouth a 70-67 lead. After the visitors regained the advantage, Snyder nailed a go-ahead trey with 35 seconds left. LU's Chris Braier sent the game to overtime with two free throws with nine seconds to play. In the extra session, Snyder added another clutch trey and two free throws to finish with a career-high 22 points. The turning point of the overtime occurred when Jason Murren blocked a Braier attempt in the lane and Snyder grabbed the loose ball and passed it ahead to Troy Bennett for a layup that put the Scots ahead 82-76. Bennett punctuated the victory with a dunk at the buzzer, giving him 20 points. Travis Miller added 18 points and six assists and Anthony Beaird made all six of his three-point attempts to finish with 19. His 6-of-6 accuracy tied a school record, and Monmouth hit 14-of-21 from beyond the arc. Braier led LU with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Chris MacGillis added 18 points for the Vikings, who are now 14-2 overall and 8-1 in the MWC.

Jan. 30 vs. Ripon College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 86, Ripon 85 (5-10, 1-8)
Two free throws by Jim Dibble with one second remaining lifted the Fighting Scots to their first MWC victory of the season and capped a career night for the sophomore from Freeburg, whose 18 points doubled his previous career-high. Dibble was especially hot in the first half, scoring 13 points as the Scots trailed 46-44 at the break. His first points of the second half came with three minutes to play and cut Ripon's lead to 79-76. Anthony Beaird got a friendly bounce on a three-pointer with a minute to play to bring the Scots within one and the Red Hawks failed to score on the ensuing possession, giving MC the ball with 24 seconds remaining. The Scots tried an entry pass to Troy Bennett in the closing seconds, but the ball was deflected and rolled on the floor to Dibble, who picked it up in traffic and was fouled as he tried a game-winning shot. Bennett was the Scots' other star on the night, scoring 26 points. Scott Landisch and Nick Sekeres scored 28 and 21 points, respectively, for Ripon.

Jan. 24 at Beloit College, Beloit, Wis.
Beloit 84, Monmouth 52 (4-10, 0-8)
Depleted by injuries and ineffectiveness in their inside game, the Fighting Scots had no answer for a Beloit team whose top player, Josh Hinz, thrives in the paint. Hinz exploited Monmouth's weakness for 22 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes of action. After taking a 10-point halftime lead, Beloit scored the first nine points of the second half to go up 49-30 and the Bucs continued to pull away from there, eventually leading by 35. Troy Bennett was the lone Scot in double figures with 11 points.

Jan. 23 at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.
Lawrence 101, Monmouth 68 (4-9, 0-7)
The Fighting Scots knew they would have their hands full with a Lawrence team ranked 13th in the nation, and the Vikings played as advertised. Thanks to a 27-1 run, LU raced out to a 55-23 halftime lead. For the game, the hosts put up a similar margin in the rebounding department, outboarding the Scots 50-27. Chris Braier grabbed 19 rebounds and was one of six LU players in double figures. Troy Bennett led Monmouth with 17 points and Travis Miller added 14. Rob Purlee and Bill Elsey added 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

Jan. 17 vs. Carroll College, Monmouth, Ill.
Carroll 93, Monmouth 83 (4-8, 0-6)
The Fighting Scots' Midwest Conference woes continue, as visiting Carroll, on the second leg of an out-of-state road trip and in an unfamiliar gym, shot a sizzling 63.3 percent for the game, including 52.9 percent from three-point range. Monmouth hit on a respectable 47.7 percent of its field goal attempts but, for the second straight day, saw a late rally come up short. After trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Scots cut the gap to 79-76 on a Troy Bennett basket with four minutes to play. But Monmouth would get no closer, and the Pioneers' Greg Monfre sealed the deal with a clutch three-pointer with just under a minute to play to put his team up eight. Bennett led five Scots in double figures with 19 points and Travis Miller was solid again, scoring 18 and leading the team in rebounds (6), assists (4) and steals (3). Rob Purlee (12 points), Tucker Blaser (11) and Anthony Beaird (11) were the Scots' outher double-digit scorers.

Jan. 16 vs. St. Norbert College, Monmouth, Ill.
St. Norbert 84, Monmouth 79 (4-7, 0-5)
Down 11 points with 1:36 to play, the Fighting Scots nearly completed a rally for the ages, pulling within two with 30 seconds remaining, but the Green Knights held on. Rob Purlee scored all 12 of his points in the final five minutes to help with the comeback and Troy Bennett and Travis Miller, who each delivered 19 points, also played well, but the Scots had dug themselves into too big a hole. The Knights had taken control of the game with a 14-1 run late in the first half, which ended with SNC on top 43-30. The Scots could not get closer than nine until their last, furious charge. Aaron Faulkner and Brandon Hansen led St. Norbert with 21 and 17 points, respectively, and Drew Demerath dished out 11 assists.

Jan. 13 vs. Grinnell College, Monmouth, Ill.
Grinnell 147, Monmouth 136 (4-6, 0-4)
Troy Bennett (42 points) and Anthony Beaird (39 points) both established new career-highs at Monmouth and Travis Miller (22 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) had a triple-double, but it wasn't enough to overcome the "Grinnell system." The Scots kept the contest close for most of the game and had one shot at the lead in the final minutes of the first half. The Pioneers were ahead 79-71 at the break, and the Scots closed the gap to 105-102 with 11 minutes to play. But Grinnell scored on 13 straight possessions to open up a 135-117 lead and secure their 10th straight victory. Bennett made 20-of-28 shots, and his 20 field goals breaks Lance Castle's record of 19 set against Grinnell in 1994. Beaird attempted 22 three-pointers, which is also a school record. Pre-season All-American Steve Wood led Grinnell with 41 points and six steals.

Jan. 10 at Knox College, Galesburg, Ill.
Knox 70, Monmouth 63 (4-5, 0-3)
The Fighting Scots are still seeking their first league win after squandering a double-digit lead against the host Prairie Fire. Monmouth led 29-19 in the first half before Jared Kelly's buzzer-beater trimmed the margin to 33-30 at halftime. Another Fighting Scots surge put the visitors up 45-37 with 16:47 to play, but from there, it was all Knox. The Fire took their first lead of the contest with 12:55 to play and never trailed the rest of the way. Down three with a minute left, the Scots missed a shot but kept the offensive rebound. They then turned it over, and Knox converted six straight free throws to ice the win. Although the Scots shut down one perennial thorn in the side, Reggie Bowman, holding him scoreless for all but the final minute, they didn't have an answer for Kelly, who had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Troy Bennett led the Scots with 15 points, three steals and two blocks, and Travis Miller had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Snyder contributed 12 points off the bench.

Jan. 8 at Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Ill.
Lake Forest 58, Monmouth 54 (4-4, 0-2)
The Fighting Scots had two chances to tie the game in the final 30 seconds but couldn't come up with the big basket when they needed it. Two Troy Bennett free throws with 38 seconds to play brought the Scots within two points at 56-54, and LFC missed the front end of a one-and-bonus. The Scots turned the ball over with 22 seconds to play but got another chance when the hosts again misfired on a free throw. Anthony Beaird's jumper was off the mark, however, and Lake Forest clinched the win with two free throws with one second left. Monmouth led by as many as eight points in the first half before settling for a 35-34 lead at the break. The Scots also led 52-51 with just under three minutes to play. Beaird had 14 points for the Scots and Bennett had 12. Rob Purlee added four assists and three steals. The Scots were outrebounded 40-24, and part of that margin was created by the Foresters' Franklyn Beckford, who had 22 points and 12 boards.

Dec. 14 at Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
Webster 75, Monmouth 67 (4-3)
The host Gorloks jumped out to a 30-13 lead and held off the Fighting Scots to send them to their second straight defeat after a four-game winning streak. After Monmouth trimmed the halftime deficit to seven points at 38-31, Webster surged ahead again and led by double digits for a good portion of the second half. On two occasions, the Scots cut the deficit to four points, and they missed a three-pointer which would have cut the margin to one point with four minutes to play. Rob Purlee was the only Scot in double figures, scoring 18 points. Troy Bennett added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Christian Basilio had 20 points off the bench to lead the Gorloks.

Dec. 13 at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill.
Illinois College 74, Monmouth 64 (4-2, 0-1)
For the majority of the game, it looked like Monmouth had the game under control, but the wheels came off of the Fighting Scots over the last 15 minutes as Illinois College battled back from a 14-point deficit to hand MC its first loss this season to a Division III opponent. The Blueboys trailed the entire game until a 3-pointer by Matt Norville with 7:44 to go gave IC a lead they would not relinquish. Troy Bennett's jumper with 16:54 left in the second half stretched the Scots' lead to 14 before the Blueboys began their rally. Bennett led all scorers with 26 points and Travis Miller and Anthony Beaird added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Dec. 3 vs. MacMurray College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 83, MacMurray 61 (4-1)
Through 22 games last season, the Fighting Scots posted four victories. Monmouth reached that total much earlier this season thanks to its continued improvement, both offensively and defensively. For the second straight game, point guard Travis Miller sparked the Scots, leading the team with 22 points and adding eight rebounds. Troy Bennett added 10 of his 12 points in the first half as the Scots stormed out to a 29-12 lead. MacMurray cut the lead to 41-32 at the half, but the Scots used a 14-3 second-half run to regain full control. Miller converted an off-handed runner, a trey, a steal and lay-in and an inside hoop off a pretty feed from Rob Purlee, who moments later passed to Tyler Snyder for a three-point play and a 65-43 lead with 11:58 left in the game. MacMurray would get no closer than 17 points the rest of the way. Tucker Blaser had a career-high 13 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds, Purlee and Anthony Beaird each had five assists and posts Kyle Cantwell and Jason Murren contributed three steals apiece. Derek Suttles led MacMurray with 23 points. The game marked the 50th meeting between the schools, and Monmouth leads the all-time series 37-13. The Scots are 4-1 to start the year for the first time since 1992-93.

Nov. 30 vs. Maryville University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 87, Maryville 74 (3-1)
Last year, the Fighting Scots struggled to score, but in the early stages of this season, they appear to have the problem remedied. Monmouth netted 87 points or more for the third time in five days en route to sweeping their games in the Pizza Hut/Econofoods Basketball Classic. Travis Miller carried the Scots to victory over the visiting Saints, posting team-highs of 26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Scots maintained control of the contest most of the way, and it was Miller who stepped up big when Maryville made its run. Eleven straight points by the Saints cut the Scots' lead to 67-64, but Miller nailed a trey on the next trip, and would later score again for a 74-66 advantage. Anthony Beaird, who netted a career-high 24 points, made six straight free throws in the final 1:17 to clinch the victory. Troy Bennett added 14 points. After falling behind 7-0 to start the game, Monmouth went on a 29-5 run, and the Scots led 43-34 at the half.

Nov. 29 vs. Principia College, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 89, Principia 61 (2-1)
The Fighting Scots opened the game on a 15-2 run and never looked back, defeating the visiting Panthers in the first game of the Pizza Hut/Econofoods Basketball Classic. Travis Miller had the hot hand early, scoring 10 of the Scots' first 18 points. Troy Bennett and Anthony Beaird also hit for double figures in the first half, which ended with Monmouth ahead 55-32. The Scots, who eventually led by as many as 36 points, cleared the bench late in the game and scored just two baskets in the final six minutes. Bennett led the team with 21 points and Beaird (19) and Miller (12) were also in double figures. Kyle Cantwell grabbed 10 rebounds, Bennett dished out six assists and Miller made three steals.

Nov. 25 vs. Aurora University, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 89, Aurora 85 (1-1)
In their first game in the newly-renovated Glennie Gymnasium, the Fighting Scots picked up a big victory against an Aurora team that reached the second round of the NCAA tourney a year ago. The Scots trailed 29-18 early on but rallied to take an eight-point lead at halftime thanks to great shooting, including three treys by Rob Purlee. Troy Bennett's reverse layup gave Monmouth a 60-53 second-half advantage, but the wheels fell off for a while as Aurora claimed a 72-66 lead with just over six minutes remaining. The score was 74-70 when Travis Miller took over the game, scoring 10 straight points for the Scots, including a layup off a pretty pass from Purlee to tie the score at 80-80. Two Purlee free throws with 2:53 left gave Monmouth the lead to stay, and Kyle Cantwell converted a huge three-point play with 2:28 remaining to open some breathing room. Aurora would not get within one possession the rest of the way. Anthony Beaird led five Scots in double figures with 18 points. The others included Miller (17), Purlee (13), Cantwell (12) and Tyler Snyder (11). Bennett led the Scots with five assists and four blocks.

Nov. 22 at Central Missouri State, Warrensburg, Mo.
Central Mo. State 101, Monmouth 71 (0-1)
The Fighting Scots opened on the road against Division II CMSU and came out decisively on the short end after a solid first-half effort. The host Mules led by just eight, 50-42, at the intermission, but after Monmouth closed the gap to six on Travis Miller's layup to start the second half, they scored the game's next 11 points and led by at least 15 the rest of the way. Troy Bennett went the distance for the Scots and posted team-high numbers of 22 points points and eight rebounds, and he was joined in double figures by Miller (13) and Anthony Beaird and Rob Purlee, who both had 10. Miller also dished out five assists. The Scots were outrebounded 48-27 and committed 23 turnovers compared to just 14 for the Mules.