MU vs. Lehigh Press game story for Saturday paper

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

WEST LONG BRANCH - Finally, Friday night, there was a sighting of something
that hadn't been much in evidence so far this season.
""Monmouth basketball,'' said senior forward Marques Alston after Monmouth
squashed Lehigh, 67-39, in a non-conference game.
The 1,550 fans at Boylan Gym watched a Monmouth team (4-8) that controlled the
clock, made intelligent passes, sank back door layups, and played a matchup zone that held the
careless Mountain
Hawks (5-10) to 29 percent shooting (13-45) while they were committing 19 turnovers
turnovers with just four assists.
" "I told the guys down in the locker room it was the first time I've
reallly seen us come together as a group,'' said Monmouth coach Dave
Calloway. ""I started sensing it the last couple of days in practice and it
showed as a complete group effort.''
" "We knew we had to stay in (inside the paint on defense), rebound, close
out (on shooters) and everything would come together,'' said Alston.
""We're trying to get back to pride in our defense. Tonight reminded me of that, especially last year and the year before
when we had Tyler (Azzarelli) and Chris (Kenny).''
In just his second career start and first since sophomore
point guard Mike
Shipman became academically ineligible, freshman Jhamar Youngblood led
Monmouth 16 points, had three assists, four turnovers, and two steals.
"'I just picked my spots,'' said Youngblood who opened Monmouth's scoring
with a left wing 3 but also ran the offense soundly while occasionally
scooting to the basket or dishing the ball on drives.
"I knew when to go (to shoot) and when I felt like it was time to bring
the ball out I brought it back out,''said Youngblood. ""I ran the team, I
didn't try to force anything tonight.''
With Monmouth ahead at the half by 13 points Alston, who added 10 points
and six rebounds, gathered his teammates around him at free throw line
just before the second half tipped off.
"We wanted to get the team (Lehigh) down to where they can't do
anything any more,'' said Alston. ""And we got 'em.''
Leading 38-26 Monmouth put the game away with a 12-0 run capped by a Dejan
Delic 3 with 10:08 left.
"This feels good,''said Youngblood. ""We've been practicing well together
as a team and I knew the same energy, the same team concept, everything was
going to carry over from practice.""
Lehigh, which hasn't won on the road since February of 2006, was
paced by
freshman guard Marques Hall's career high 18 points, 15 in the second half.
Though he struggled from the field (1-for-7 from 3) Delic notched a
season high six assists as Monmouth finished with 16 assists and nine
turnovers.
Calloway said he thought Delic played well. ""People don't realize Deki
has a very good all around game and tonight was a perfect example, he does a
little bit of everything out there.''
The biggest roar from the stands erupted with 40 seconds left when walk on
Steve Bazaz, a Shore Regional High School graduate, sank two free throws for
his first career collegiate points.
Twenty-one year old freshman Yaniv Simpson also collected his first career
points (four) in the waning moments.
NOTES.. Monmouth concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule 1:30 p.m.
Sunday at Boylan Gym vs. Loyola Marymount (8-7). The West Coast Conference
team, which will be
minus two of its top players who are injured, lost at Akron (8-3) Friday night.

Monmouth, which had surrendered an average of over 77 points in its last three games, yielded its lowest point
total since last season's 41-21 conquest of Princeton.
Lehigh suffered its lowest scoring game since it
was limited to 37 in a defeat by Washington last season.
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e-mail tonygsports@aol.com