Monmouth gave 20^th-ranked Loras all the Duhawks could handle, but came up just a bit short in an 83-70 loss Saturday at Glennie Gym.
 
The Scots, who trailed just 40-32 at the half climbed within five points three times in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump. Trailing 55-43 with 12:24 left, D.J. Swift's layup cut the margin to 10 and a Justin Batterton bucket in the lane made it a 55-47 game. Swift followed with a traditional three-point play, pulling Monmouth within five at 55-50. The Dukawks answered on their next possession before a Will Carius bucket inside again drew the Scots within five.
 
Loras countered with back-to-back buckets, keeping the Scots at arm's length until Monmouth mounted another run in the final minutes. Another Batterton layup on the way to a 20-point night started Monmouth's 8-3 run as the junior forward scored the run's final points on a pair of free throws, cutting the deficit to 65-60 with 6:05 left. The Duhawks then eased their lead back to double digits down the stretch sinking six of eight free throws in the final 1:29.
 
Carius and Swift joined Batterton in double digits with 24 and 14 points, respectively.
 
Monmouth hosts Grinnell in a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Jan. 2 at Glennie Gym.