The Monmouth College men's basketball team withstood a late rally in regulation to beat Ripon 84-71 in overtime on Jan. 18. The Fighting Scots (11-5, 5-2) got a career-high 27 points from senior Declan Flynn (Monmouth, Illinois) to lead four players in double figures.
Jordan Hill (Chicago, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer early to tie the game and Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) made a free throw for the lead. Flynn scored and Taylor hit another free throw for a 7-0 run. Flynn scored again before Ripon ended the run with a bucket. Flynn made two free throws and Max Maring (Port Byron, Illinois) gave the Scots a 13-5 lead with a putback. Hill hit a jumper and Taylor made two free throws for a 17-9 Monmouth lead. Brennen McNally (Paw Paw, Illinois) made it a 10-point lead with a layup as the clock went under 10 minutes to play in the half.
Flynn hit a 3-pointer for a 22-10 lead and Ripon called timeout with 7:20 left in the half. Ripon scored the next five and used a 14-4 run to cut the Scots lead to 26-24. Zay Brown (Peoria, Illinois) made a layup and Maring answered a Ripon free throw. Maring followed his own miss for a bucket and after Ripon scored four straight, Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer. Monmouth led 34-33 at the break as Ripon finished on an extended 23-12 run.
Ripon scored early in the second half to lead for the first time since it was 3-0. Flynn answered with a layup in traffic but Ripon scored again. The Red Hawks led by five when Cam Thomas (Arlington, Texas) made two free throws and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with just over 12:00 to play. Thomas hit another 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and Brown made it a 10-0 run with a bucket at the basket.
Ripon scored with 9:05 to play, ending the Monmouth run. Flynn scored the next two Monmouth baskets and Thomas forced a turnover. Flynn splashed a 3-pointer to get to the 20-point mark and added a layup for a 55-46 lead as Ripon called timeout with 6:08 to play. Out of the timeout, the visitors scored five points in a row but Thomas answered with a layup. Flynn converted a 3-point play for a 60-51 lead. Brown put the Scots back up by double digits with a free throw with 3:10 to play. Ripon hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut it to four and they added two free throws. Taylor ended the 8-0 run with a long 3-pointer and after Ripon missed, Brown made a layup to put the Scots up 66-59 with 45 seconds left. Ripon scored quick, stole the ball from Hill and scored again. Taylor missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Ripon tied the game with 13.4 seconds to play. Out of a timeout, Monmouth didn't get a shot off in 13 seconds and turned it over but Ripon missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Hill got the Scots on the board in OT with a free throw and Taylor made a 3-pointer for a 70-66 lead. Brown made it 72-66 before Ripon answered in the lane. Leading by two, Thomas nailed a corner 3-pointer as the clock shot expired for a 75-50 lead. The Scots forced a miss and Flynn set a new career-high in points with a bucket in the lane. Brown put the Scots up nine with two free throws as Ripon continued to miss shots. Taylor and Hill combined to make five free throws in the final 30 seconds for an 84-71.
FLynn scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and added seven rebounds. Taylor and Thomas both scored 13 points and Brown added 11. Brown led the Scots with eight rebounds and three blocks. Taylor had four assists and two steals, leading Monmouth in both categories.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Flynn has led the Scots in scoring in three straight games and he has six double-digit scoring game of the season ... He has scored at least 20 points in six career games and his prior career high was 26 against Grinnell in 2023 ... Flynn is the 11th player to appear in 90 games for the Fighting Scots ... He has played in 90 of 91 games over the last four years, including 70 straight not playing against Knox game in Feb. 2021 ... Thomas has been in double figures nine times ... Taylor has 95 career stealsThe last two home games have gone to overtime with Monmouth winning both ... Monmouth was 4-for-5 from the field in overtime while Ripon was 2-for-10 ... Monmouth won the rebounding battle 35-26 ... Ripon leads the all-time series 74-63 ... Coach Skrivseth is 12-12 against Ripon, 7-6 at home ... The teams split last season with the road team winning both games ... The teams play again in Wisconsin on Feb. 15 ...
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