No. 4 Monmouth Makes First CAA Final with 74-64 Victory over No. 9 Campbell
Dylan Smith
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | TICKETS
PHOTO GALLERY | HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE – MONMOUTH | PRESS CONFERENCE – CAMPBELL
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fourth-seeded Monmouth used a stifling defensive performance to defeat No. 9 Campbell, 74-64, in the first semifinal game of the 2026 Air Force Reserve CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday night at CareFirst Arena.
With the victory, the Hawks advanced to the finals of the CAA Tournament for the first time in their fourth year as a league member, where they will face either No. 3 Hofstra or No. 7 Towson. Campbell closed its season with a 16-18 record after reaching the semifinals for the first time.
Monmouth’s defense made 13 steals and forced the Camels into a season-high 23 turnovers that resulted in 22 points. Campbell was limited to just one three-pointer until the final 1:07 of the contest and was held 15 points below its season scoring average.
Point guard Kavion McClain led a balanced scoring effort for Monmouth with 19 points, while All-CAA standout Jason Rivera-Torres tallied 17 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Justin Ray added 14 points off the bench on 5-of-7 FG shooting and Stefanos Spartalis had 10 points.
Campbell got a game-high 21 points from guard Jeremiah Johnson and backcourt mate DJ Smith chipped in 14 points.
Monmouth held a four-point advantage midway through the first half when Campbell put together a 7-0 run that featured back-to-back layups from Chris Fields, Jr. to go ahead, 15-12. The Hawks responded with a Ray jumper and a McClain three to move back on top, and the teams would trade the lead five times in the next two minutes. A layup from Rivera-Torres gave Monmouth a 30-24 halftime lead. The Hawks shot just 33.3% from the floor in the first 20 minutes but made eight steals and forced 15 Camels turnovers.
The Hawks pushed their margin to double digits early in the second half, but Campbell climbed back to within 38-34 on a Fields, Jr. layup with 14:39 to play. However, Monmouth responded with seven straight points capped by a Jack Collins trey that made it 45-34 with 12:19 left. The Hawks maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the way as they shot 54.2% from the floor over the final 20 minutes and made 16-of-19 from the free-throw line.
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