Campbell’s 2 free throws lift Monmouth (N.J.) past St. Francis (N.Y.) 51-49

Monmouth (N.J.) edges St. Francis (N.Y.) 51-49

NEW YORK — Will Campbell hit two free throws with 4 seconds left to lift Monmouth (N.J.) to a 51-49 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Thursday night.

St. Francis’ Akeem Bennett could have sent in the game into overtime, but he missed on a tip-in to preserve the win for the Hawks (12-15, 8-7 Northeast Conference).

Travis Taylor led Monmouth with a game-high 16 points, while Justin Sofman had 14 points and Campbell added 10. The Hawks won despite shooting 37.3 percent from the floor (19-for-51) compared to St. Francis, which didn’t shoot much better at 39.6 percent (19-for-48).

Sofman’s 3-pointer gave Monmouth a 47-40 lead with 5:24 to play. St. Francis (10-16, 7-8) went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 49-49 with 1:21 left, until Campbell knocked down two go-ahead free throws.

Bennett led St. Francis with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Ricky Cadell had 12 points.