NEWARK, N.J. – Patrik Auda scored a career -high 27 points, powering Seton Hall past Monmouth, 82-66, on Monday night at the Prudential Center.
Auda threw down an alley-oop from Fuquan Edwin to give Seton Hall (3-1) its largest lead of the game, 60-34, with 11:53 to go.
Auda's career high had been 18 points, which he accomplished nearly two years ago against Dayton. He was almost perfect on the offensive end, sinking eight of nine shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He also drained all nine of his free throws and finished with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Seton Hall's Sterling Gibbs added 16 points on near perfect shooting, hitting 4 of 5 from the field, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds and four assists and turned the ball over just once.
Deon Jones led Monmouth (1-2) with 24 points.
The Pirates opened the second half with an 11-4 run that boosted their lead to 49-29 with 16:32 remaining. A two-handed dunk by Brandon Mobley and a drive of the baseline for a reverse layup by Gibbs capped the burst for the Hall.
The Pirates took fewer free throws than Monmouth, but made the most of their chances by making 23 of 28 from the line. Monmouth made just 17 of 31 fouls, 54.8 percent.
Stephane Manga came off the bench to contribute 14 points and six rebounds for the Pirates.
The Pirates improved to 12-0 in its series against the Hawks.
Seton Hall took a 38-25 lead into the break, led by Auda's 15 points. In his 10 minutes on the floor in the first half, Auda hit 3 of 4 shots from the floor, made all eight of his free throws, pulled down six rebounds and made two steals. The Pirates shot 92.9 percent from the line in the first half, sinking 13-of-14 attempts over the first 20 minutes.
The Pirates improved to 12-0 in its series against the Hawks.
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