2021-22 Monmouth Basketball Game Four Preview

Monmouth Hawks (2-1, 0-0 MAAC) at Saint Joseph's Hawks (2-1, 0-0 A10)

Saturday, November 20, 2021 - 12:00 p.m. EST

Hagan Arena, Philadelphia, PA

TV
ESPN+

Play-by-Play: Matt Martucci
 

SJU COVID-19 FAN PROTOCOLS
In accordance with the city of Philadelphia's Department of Public Health regulations, Saint Joseph's Athletics is requiring all fans and game personnel to be masked while indoors. While vaccination status will not be verified when entering Hagan Arena, we hope that all of our fans will get vaccinated to protect our student-athletes, staff and community. All fans are reminded to monitor their health symptoms daily and not attend an event if they feel sick. Additionally, all seats within Hagan Arena will utilize mobile or print at home tickets. If you select mobile tickets, add your mobile tickets to your digital wallet before arriving at Hagan Arena to make your entrance through the gates as easy as possible. 

QUICK BULLETS
• Monmouth is playing their third road contest in four games to open the season
• MU visits Philadelphia for the first time since 2018, also at SJU
• Monmouth has won two in a row
• Walker Miller is the only Hawk to score in double figures in the first three games of the year
• George Papas has hit all but three of MU's three pointers this year
• MU has started the same five in all three games this season
• Papas and Miller are both 18-36 FG to start the season
• Monmouth is outscoring opponents by 16 points in the first half
• This is Monmouth's first weekend contest of the season 

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
-mark Monmouth's third victory of the season 
-be King Rice's first win over Saint Joseph's 
-move MU two games .500 on the season (3-1) 
-be Rice's third ever win over an A10 opponent 
-mark Monmouth's second straight road victory 
-move MU's winning streak to three games 
-count as the 1,010th win in program history 
-signify the first win in the city of Philadelphia for Monmouth since a 2015 win at Drexel 
-be MU's first win over an A10 member since December 21, 2013 over Fordham 
-give the Hawks a 3-1 start for the first time since 2015-16 
-make MU the second MAAC team to reach three wins this season 
-Secure a record of .500 or better for the month of November 
-be the 164th of Rice's head coaching career 

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT
-George Papas posted the 53rd 30+ point game in Monmouth history 
-Papas' 30+ point game was the third of his career 
-Papas his seven threes, the third time in his career he has hit 7+ triples in a game 
-Papas posted 30+ points in a home opener for the second year in a row 
-Nikkei Rutty grabbed nine rebounds, his season high 
-Walker Miller is the only Hawk to score in double digits all three contests 
-Tahron Allen made his collegiate debut off the bench in the final minute of the first half 
-The Hawks moved to 9-2 in home openers under King Rice 
-The game marked the first time fans entered the OceanFirst Bank Center in 620 days 
-The Hawks out-rebounded Lehigh 37-31 
-MU's 10-man rotation was the most of the season 
-The game featured five ties and six lead changes 
-MU was better on the fast break, 27-10 

NOTES ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-Monmouth and SJU have met twice previously 
-The first meeting between the teams came on December 28, 1994 at the Cowboy Shootout in Casper, Wyoming 
-Monmouth won the 1994 meeting by a 71-62 count 
-MU closed that 1994 meeting on an 18-9 run, led by 20 points from John Giraldo 
-In the 2018 meeting, SJU won by a 78-63 count 
-MU put three in double figures in the game (Ray Salnave, Deion Hammond, Mustapha Traore) and were led by 14 Salnave points 
-This marks MU's second ever trip to Hagan Arena 
-Monmouth has played nine of 14 current A10 members, with wins over Fordham, Saint Joseph's, Davidson and George Mason 
-King Rice is 2-6 against current Atlantic 10 members 

PAPAS GOES CRAZY
George Papas exploded for 31 points on seven triples in the win over Lehigh, his third career 30+ point contest and the most points in a game by a Hawk this season. Papas made five in the first half and two more in the second, posting 30+ in the home opener for the second consecutive season after making nine threes and scoring 32 in the 2020 home opener against Hofstra. 

NATIONAL RANKS FOR PAPAS
Papas' hot shooting start to the season has him among the nations best, including currently ranking second in the country in threes made per game at 4.67, trailing only Furman's Alex Hunter who is averaging five per contest with six of Hunter's triples coming against a Division II opponent, North Greenville. 

WELCOME WALKER
Graduate center Walker Miller has burst onto the scene after playing sparingly in four seasons as a walk on at North Carolina. Miller has scored in double figures in every game, the only Hawk to do so, and is MU's leading rebounder at over seven per game. Papas also ranks 12th nationally in both total threes made and minutes per game. 

FREE THROWS HELPING
Monmouth has gotten off to a strong start from the foul line, connecting at 87.8% from the stripe through three games, including shooting over 90% in two contests. No Hawk has missed more than two foul shots this season. 

MCCLARY THE VET
Marcus McClary posted his career-best scoring game at Towson, netting 16 points on 7-12 from the floor while playing all but 57 seconds of the contest. He also added five rebounds and a pair of assists on the night. 

WHAT A START
Monmouth exploded out of the gates at Towson, opening the contest on a 17-0 run and ultimately leading 24-1. The Hawks did not allow a point for the first 6:48 and did not allow a field goal in the opening 8:34 in building a 23-point advantage. 

SHORTENED ROTATION
A coach that uses a deep bench, King Rice played just eight players in the season opener at Charlotte. That marks the least since just eight Hawks saw time on December 8, 2018 at Albany. Current Hawks Nikkei Rutty and Marcus McClary started that game for MU. Rice used just one additional player off his bench against Towson in guard Jack Holmstrom for 3:41. 

BIG MYLES
Monmouth sophomore big Myles Foster grabbed seven rebounds in the win at Towson, a career-best mark for the Brooklyn native. He was among the games top rebounders, and cleaned up an offensive carom for a key late basket.

STIFLING DEFENSE
MU put together consecutive games of strong defense. MU limited Towson to 31.7% and 31.6% from deep. The Hawks got back into the game on Tuesday night at Charlotte thanks to their defense, which held Charlotte overall to 38.2% and 22.2% from downtown, including 20% from deep in the second half. The 49ers were just 6-27 from three, and accumulated 20 points at the free throw line, while the Tigers totaled 27 points from the foul line. 

WHAT RETURNS
Monmouth brings back 10 players from last season's MAAC regular season title team, including a pair of players that opted to remain at MU for their fifth season after the NCAA granted eligibility due to COVID-19. The Blue and White are 15 total points shy of returning 50% of its scoring from a season ago, with the two fifth-year players in George Papas and Marcus McClary coming back as the top two returning scorers. 

WHAT COMES IN
The Hawks have seven new faces on the roster to begin the 2021-22 season, with four freshman coming in as well as a trio of transfers. Impact graduate transfers Shavar Reynolds Jr. (Seton Hall) and Walker Miller (North Carolina) will make an immediate impact, while MU also welcomes walk-on guard Jakari Spence from Robert Morris. King Rice also brings in a strong freshman class of four players, including guards Tahron Allen, Jayden Doyle, and Sam Fagan and center Tadhg Crowley. 

PRESEASON ALL-MAAC
Two Hawks were named to Preseason All-MAAC teams, with top returning scorer George Papas earning First Team and transfer Shavar Reynolds Jr. earning Third Team. Papas, a second-teamer a season ago, becomes the fourth Hawk to ever earn Preseason All-MAAC First Team, joining Justin Robinson, Micah Seaborn and Deion Hammond. Reynolds was named to a preseason team despite not suiting up for the Hawks yet after an impressive season a year ago with Seton Hall. 

GRAD TRANSFERS
King Rice has welcomed a pair of graduate transfers in the same season for the first time in his tenure at Monmouth. Rice has had two previous grad transfers in his 10 prior seasons. Reserve guard Trevon Gross Jr. was a Hawk in 2018-19 after playing at Virginia, while impactful big man Brice Kofane joined the Hawks in 2014- 15 following his time at Providence. Kofane averaged 6.4 points per game and led the Blue and White in rebounding (5.8 per game) and blocks (55). 

LAST TIME OUT
Monmouth beat Lehigh 85-75 behind 31 George Papas points and seven triples. 

WHAT'S TO COME
The Hawks host Princeton on Thanksgiving Eve on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.