DAYTON, OHIO ? A hot shooter and an imposing center won over a neutral crowd and helped Monmouth finally measure up in the NCAA Tournament.

Chris Kenny set an opening-round record with six three-pointers Tuesday night, and 7-foot-2 center John Bunch entertained the crowd with his bulk and his blocks during a 71-49 victory over Hampton in the play-in game.

Monmouth (19-14) moves on to Philadelphia to play No. 1 seed Villanova in the Wildcats’ backyard Friday, looking to pull off that elusive 16-over-1 upset.

Even if they don’t get it, the Northeast Conference champions already have had a breakthrough tournament. A school with a history of NCAA blowouts opened this tournament on the other side of one.

Monmouth lost by 24 points to Marquette in 1996, by 43 points to No. 1 seed Duke in 2001 and by 33 points to Mississippi State in 2004. The conference hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1983.

“The big difference is I feel like a winner,” said Kenny, who played on the 2004 team. “We got crushed against Mississippi State. I’m on cloud nine right now, and I’m going to stay there for a while.”

Monmouth's Chris Kenny shoots a three-pointer in the second half a 71-49 victory over Hampton in the NCAA Tournament play-in game. Kenny set a play-in record with six treys to lead Monmouth on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.

Only a handful of students from both schools made the short-notice trip for the tournament opener at the University of Dayton Arena. The crowd of 7,764 waited to choose a rooting interest.

Midway through the first half, it made its choice – the one from Jersey.

Kenny made five three-pointers in the first half, matching his career high and the record for an NCAA play-in game. After one long-range swish, he and Dejan Delic retreated down the court flicking their trigger fingers at each other as if in a shootout.

Kenny finished with 18 points, and Delic had 14. Overall, Monmouth went 10-of-26 from behind the three-point arc.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hampton (16-16) had to contend with the game’s most imposing player. Bunch weighs 320 pounds and stood at least a head taller than almost everyone else on the court.

“He’s a big kid,” said Hampton’s Jeff Granger. “Everywhere you went, he was there. He did exactly what a big man is supposed to do.”