Junior guard Justin Robinson had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists to help top-seeded Monmouth beat eighth-seeded Bucknell 90-80 on Wednesday in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament at the Multipurpose Activity Center in West Long Branch, N.J.

Junior guard Collin Stewart came off the bench to score 16 points for Monmouth (28-7), which will play fourth-seeded George Washington in the second round. Senior guard Deon Jones scored 15 points.

Senior guard Chris Hass had 18 points and seven rebounds for Bucknell (17-14). Sophomore forward Zach Thomas had 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Kimbal Mackenzie had 13 points.

Monmouth led 17-9 midway through the opening period and went up 23-12 on a layup by Robinson. The Hawks led 30-20 with less than four minutes remaining in the half, but Bucknell mounted a 10-0 run to tie the game on a 3-pointer by senior guard Ryan Frazier.

The Hawks led 36-30 at the break, but the Bison cut the deficit to two early in the second period. Monmouth maintained a slim lead until Mackenzie made a 3-pointer to tie the game, but the Hawks responded with a 9-0 run to go up 61-52 and extended their lead to 12 moments later.