Monmouth broke loose for a 17-8 run to open the second half en route to an 83-74 win at Illinois College Tuesday night.
 
Will Carius hit a pair of free throws and a jumper for four of his game-high 25 points in the first minute of the second half as Monmouth came out firing, hitting more than 60 percent of their second half shots. Justin Batterton's 3-pointer finished the run before the Blueboys could respond.
 
IC battled back, cutting their deficit to three at 73-70 with 2:34 left but another Batterton 3-ball pushed the Bluleboys back. Working with an 80-74 lead with less than 30 seconds left, Tyler Houston connected on his final three free throws to ice the game.
 
Batterton – who went 6-for-8 from the field – finished with 18 points, D.J. Swift added 12 and Houston chipped in with 11.
 
Monmouth opens their Midwest Conference home season next Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Lake Forest.