Game 8 • Monmouth (3-4) vs. Rider (2-4)
Thursday, December 5, 2013 • 7:05 p.m.
ESPN3 • #MBK-RIDERvsMU
West Long Branch, N.J. • the MAC
Broadcast:
ESPN3
Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Rob Kennedy (analysis)
Radio (Shore Sports Network):
Listen Live
WOBM-AM 1160 & 1310
Eddy Occhipinti (play-by-play) and Matt Harmon (analysis)
Radio (WMCX):
88.9 FM
Mike Zimmermann (play-by-play) and Mike Heyer (analysis)
Follow on Twitter - @MonmouthBBall / @MUHawks • #MBK-RIDERvsMU
Monmouth-Rider Series History:
• Thursday night will be the 39th meeting between Monmouth and Rider in men's basketball, as the Broncs hold a 23-15 lead all-time.
• Once both members of the Northeast Conference, Monmouth and Rider are meeting Thursday night as conference opponents for the first time since February 6, 1997.
• MU and RU have met every year in non-conference action since 1997-98.
• Rider has won the last six meetings between the cross-state rivals.
Rider Men's Basketball
Rider Roster
Rider Schedule and Results
BLUE & WHITE BITS:
• Third-year Monmouth head coach King Rice guides the Hawks into their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2013-14. The Hawks, who spent 26 seasons in the NEC, captured four league titles in the NEC and secured four NCAA Tournament berths (1996, 2001, 2004, 2006).
• Rice has guided his team against five nationally-ranked teams since taking over the Monmouth program to start the 2011-12 campaign.
• With its victory over Binghamton on December 3, 2012, Monmouth posted its 400th Division I win in program history.
• MU forced 20+ turnovers in 11 of its 31 games last year, averaging 18.1 forced turnovers a contest, which has turned into 534 points for the Hawks. The Blue & White forced at least 15 miscues by its opposition in 24 of its 31 contests last year.
• This year's MU roster features no seniors, four juniors and a total of 12 underclassmen. In addition, the roster includes 14 first- or second-year players in the program. Monmouth's roster features the most freshman of any school in the MAAC.
• At the start of the season, the Hawks featured a total of just nine years of collegiate playing experience on the roster.
• Monmouth's season-opening road win at Hofstra was the program's first road win to open a season in the school's Division I history.
• Behind his 13-point performace at Hofstra, junior Andrew Nicholas eclipsed the 500-point mark in his MU career, and remains the Hawks' leading total point scorer on the roster, while classmate Max DiLeo leads the program in career games played.
• The Hawks' 13-point comeback in the win at Hofstra eclipsed the highest comeback in any win of last season. Four times last year, MU rallied from seven points down to secure a win. The Hawks have now comeback from double-digit deficits in all three of their wins this year (13/13/11).
• Freshman Josh James was named the season's first MAAC Rookie of the Week on November 11, 2013. It was Monmouth's first-ever MAAC Basketball Weekly Award. The guard repeated as MAAC Rookie of the Week on December 2.
@MonmouthBBall • #FlyHawks • #MUAllDay
