HAWKS OPEN MAAC PLAY FRIDAY VS. SAINT PETER'S

2020-21 Monmouth Basketball Game 2 Preview

Monmouth Hawks (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Saint Peter's Peacocks (4-2, 2-0 MAAC)
Friday, December 18, 2020 - 5:00 p.m. EST
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ

TV
ESPN3/Watch ESPN
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Steve Bazaz

SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS
Saint Peter's comes in 4-2, and enter off a 2-0 weekend in MAAC play in sweeping Niagara. Three Peacocks score in double figures, with Fousseyni Drame, KC Ndefo and Daryl Banks III scoring between 12.2 and 12.7 points per game.

SPU HEAD COACH SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY
SPU Head Coach Shaheen Holloway is in his third season at the helm of the Peacocks, and is 32-33 overall. Previously a Seton Hall assistant, Holloway led SPU to a MAAC Tournament bye last season before knocking off Iona in the quarterfinals.

MONMOUTH AT HOME
Though there will be no fans in the stands, Monmouth has had success at the OceanFirst Bank Center, finishing last season 11-2. MU dropped its opener on Tuesday at home against Hofstra.

SPU ON THE ROAD
The Peacocks have yet to win a true road game from this season, dropping road games at St. John's and Maryland, but they do have a neutral site victory over LaSalle at St. John's.

SERIES NOTES
-The teams have played 15 times as MAAC opponents, with SPU leading 8-7.
-Three of the 15 games have gone into overtime.
-Overall, they have played 42 times, with SPU holding a 27-15 advantage.
-The teams are separated by 26 total points in 15 MAAC games, an average of less than 2ppg.

ALL THE NOTES ON PAPAS TYING THE SINGLE-GAME THREE-POINT RECORD
-In the season opener, George Papas tied the program record for made three-pointers in a single game with nine. His outburst tied Monmouth Hall of Famer and former head coach Dave Calloway's mark, set on January 2, 1990 in a win at Pepperdine. The record stood for more than 30 years before Papas tied it.
-Papas is one of four players in school history to record 7+ threes in a game on two different occasions, joining Justin Robinson, Dejan Delic and Dave Calloway.
-Papas, who tied his career-high with 32 points in the game, is the third Hawk to score 30+ on opening night. He joins Rich Pass, who had 36 to open the 1984 season against LaSalle, and John Giraldo, who netted 33 in the 1994 opener vs. Loyola (Md.).

LET IT FLY
Monmouth hit 15 threes on opening night against Hofstra, the most the Hawks have hit in a game since March 14, 2017, an NIT game against Ole Miss, a span of 97 games.

SENIOR HEAVY
Monmouth's four seniors combined to score 76 of the team's 88 points against Hofstra, knocking in 28 of the team's 32 field goals. Three of the four seniors went into double figures, led by 32 from George Papas and 24 from Deion Hammond. Melik Martin scored 16 points while Marcus McClary chipped in four.

HOT START FOR HAMMOND
Deion Hammond scored the first 11 points and 16 of Monmouth's first 18 out of the gate in the opener, drilling four three pointers in that stretch. The senior is now over 1,300 points for his career and 23 three-pointers shy of tying the program record of 260, held by Dave Calloway. In the Hofstra contest, Hammond tied his career highs with four steals and four assists.

HIGH-FLYING MELIK
Melik Martin was one point shy of tying his career high on opening night, and matched his career mark of eight rebounds in the game. He also set a career-best with five steals, posting his 11th career game in double figures and second highest scoring output of his career.

RUTH THE FIRST IN SEVEN YEARS
Myles Ruth started at point guard on opening night, and in doing so, became the first true freshman to start in the opener since Zac Tillman and Justin Robinson did so on 11/8/13 at Hofstra. Ruth converted his first career points on a three-point play.

FRESHMEN MAKE THEIR DEBUTS
All four of MU's true freshmen made their debuts in the Hofstra opener. Myles Ruth started at the point and finished with three points and two steals, while Klemen Vuga scored four points including a dunk on his first career touch. Myles Foster had a rebound in his debut, while Jack Holmstrom also saw time at the guard spot.

KING GOES FOR 150
Head Coach King Rice is seeking to win his 150th game as a head coach tonight, with all of them coming at the helm of the Hawks. Rice's first win came on 12/6/11 at Navy, with win #50 coming over Siena on 3/1/15. His 100th win took place at Manhattan, when a late Micah Seaborn triple propelled his Hawks over the Jaspers on 2/10/17. Rice would join three other MU coaches at the 150 win mark (Bill Boylan, Wayne Szoke, Dave Calloway), and just two that have done it at the Division I level (Szoke, Calloway). There are currently 173 active DI head coaches with 150+ wins, with Rice vying to join that group. Of those 173, only 34 of them have won 150+ games at only one school. With another victory, Rice will become the only coach currently in the MAAC to post 150 wins at their current institution.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Micah Seaborn: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior

#33 Zac Tillman: C; 6' 10"; Fifth Year

#3 Deion Hammond: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#2 Melik Martin: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#13 Marcus McClary: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#5 George Papas: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#14 Jack Holmstrom: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#0 Myles Foster: F; 6' 7"; Freshman

#24 Myles Ruth: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#30 Klemen Vuga: F; 6' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#10 Micah Seaborn
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#33 Zac Tillman
: 6' 10"; Fifth Year
: C

#3 Deion Hammond
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#2 Melik Martin
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#13 Marcus McClary
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#5 George Papas
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#14 Jack Holmstrom
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#0 Myles Foster
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: F

#24 Myles Ruth
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#30 Klemen Vuga
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: F