Monmouth Hawks (5-12, 1-4 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (11-7, 5-1 MAAC)
Friday, January 19, 2018 | 7:00pm ET
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ
 
Please find PDF of full notes attached.
 
MEDIA INFORMATION
TV: ESPN3/WatchESPN
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Steve Bazaz
Sideline: Suzi Mellano
 
RADIO
WMCX 88.9FM
 
LIVE STATS
http://statb.us/b/197391

MONMOUTH-IONA HISTORY
-Monmouth has won two games in a row against the Gaels.
-Monmouth is 4-8 all-time vs. Iona.
-The Hawks are 3-7 vs. Iona since joining the MAAC in 2013.
-The teams met in two of the last three MAAC Tournaments, playing in the 2015 semifinals and the 2016 finals.
-Five of the games played between the teams have been decided by 16 points or more, while four have come by one possession or less.
-MU has won the last two games played in New Rochelle.
-Last season, Monmouth swept Iona for the first time, winning by an average of 12 points per game, including an 18-point win in West Long Branch.

QUINN WORKING INSIDE
Diago Quinn has put together three consecutive strong performances, having scored in double figures in three games in a row for the first time in his career. On the Buffalo trip, Quinn was effective posting the first double-double of his career at Niagara. His 14 rebounds vs. the Purple Eagles is tied for the most for a Hawk this season (Tilghman at Yale, 12/22) and second most of his career (2/28/16, 16 boards vs. Niagara). He netted 15 points against Canisius on 4-7 shooting, also collecting five boards. Previously, he erupted for a career-high 19 points on 6-7 shooting and 7-8 from the foul line against Manhattan, also grabbing six rebounds. He has worked into double digits seven times this year, and is the only Hawk to start every game.

LOUIE HEATS UP IN WESTERN NY
Louie Pillari averaged 18.5 points per game on the Western New York swing, scoring 18 points against Canisius after putting home 19 at Niagara. He was nearly perfect at Canisius, shooting 6-for-7 and 4-of-5 from deep, along with making both of his foul shots. For the weekend, Pillari shot 52.4% from the floor and 57.1% from beyond the arc, as well as a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line.

THE SENIOR POINT GUARD
Austin Tilghman is now averaging double digits in scoring for the first time in his career, scoring at 10.5 points per game after putting in a career-high 22 points at Canisius. He was 8-for-10 shooting against the Golden Griffins, and snagged nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double. His 85 assists lead the team, as do his 551 minutes played. Tilghman has been on the floor at least 31 minutes in 11 games this season, including three in a row and seven of the last eight contests.

BACK TO THE 732
Monmouth has had success at the OceanFirst Bank Center this season, winning three times with victories over Bucknell, Albany and Manhattan. Of the two losses, one came in the closing seconds vs. Hofstra and the other was a four-overtime defeat to Penn. Micah Seaborn is averaging 19 points per game at home and shooting 54.8% from the field and 63.6% from three, while Austin Tilghman, Diago Quinn and Deion Hammond all score in double digits in West Long Branch. Ray Salnave is scoring at 9.8 points per game in his home arena, and Zac Tillman scores at 7.8 points per night. After playing 12 of the first 17 games away from home, Monmouth returns home for two in a row and four of the next six, with a neutral site game in between on January 27 when the Hawks take on Marist as part of a tripleheader at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

SWEEPING IONA
Monmouth became the first team ever last season to sweep a Tim Cluess-coached Iona team, topping the Gaels twice in the 2016-17 campaign. Monmouth beat Iona at home on January 6 by a 92-74 count before ending the regular season with a 79-73 win in New Rochelle. Micah Seaborn scored 14.5 points per game in the pair, while Austin Tilghman averaged eight points and 7.5 rebounds in the two games.

A BATTLE FROM DEEP
Monmouth and Iona are the top two three-point shooting teams in the MAAC, with MU shooting at 39.2% from deep, just behind Iona's 39.7%. Each team ranks in the top-40 nationally, with the Hawks at 36th and Iona at 31st. Louie Pillari is shooting at 49% from downtown, third in the league and just a percentage point behind Iona's Jan Svandrlik at 49.1%. Iona's Schadrac Casimir is fourth in the conference, and Monmouth's Deion Hammond is 12th.

AWARDED BY THE MAAC
Two Hawks have earned MAAC weekly awards this season, with Austin Tilghman being named MAAC Player of the Week after totaling a triple-double vs. Yale and Deion Hammond earning MAAC Rookie of the Week after a big night vs. Manhattan. Hammond scored 17 points, two shy of a career best, on 5-for-9 shooting, including three from deep. He was 4-of-5 from the foul line and contributed four rebounds in 26 minutes vs. the Jaspers. The Mitchellville, MD native drilled a wing three to cap a 17-0 Monmouth run after the Hawks trailed by two, and later put MU up 16 with a three, forcing a Manhattan timeout with 4:06 remaining. Hammond was Monmouth's first Rookie of the Week since Micah Seaborn on February 22, 2016. He was the first true freshman to win the award since Josh James on December 2, 2013. Tilghman netted 11 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds at Yale, the second triple-double in Monmouth history. He was the first Hawk of the season to earn a weekly honor.

IN CONFERENCE PLAY...
-Five Hawks are averaging over nine points per game (Seaborn, Tilghman, Quinn, Pillari, Hammond)
-Six players are shooting over 52% from the field (Seaborn, Tilghman, Quinn, Tillman, Sarr, Ibiezugbe)
-Austin Tilghman is the only Hawk averaging over 23.5 minutes per game, playing 33.4 minutes per contest
-Louie Pillari and Deion Hammond are shooting the exact same from the field (15-for-35), have played nearly the exact same amount of minutes (112 and 114) and have scored almost the same number of total points (49 and 47)
-King Rice has used two starting lineups, with just one change; Ray Salnave replaced Micah Seaborn the last three games after Seaborn was injured at Saint Peter's on 12/31
-Diago Quinn is MU's third leading scorer (10.4ppg), top rebounder (6.0rpg) and has the most blocks on MU
-Monmouth is outshooting opponents 47.7% to 42.8%