Monmouth Hawks (3-3, 0-0 MAAC) at NJIT Highlanders (4-5, 0-0 America East)
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 – 7 p.m. EST
NJIT Wellness and Events Center, Newark, N.J.
 
TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Matt Ventola
 
Monmouth Notes
 
OPENING TIP
-Monmouth is in search of its second consecutive road win after defeating Dartmouth last Sunday, 55-37, in Hanover, N.H. The victory at Dartmouth was the first road win for the Hawks this season and the first during the Ginny Boggess era.
-A win opposite the Highlanders would mark the first time that the Hawks claimed back-to-back victories away from home since Nov. 25 & Dec. 2 of 2018.
-Graduate student Stella Clark is five rebounds shy of 500 for her career.
-NJIT is looking to halt a two-game skid after falling to Rider and Lafayette last week with both losses coming by single digits.
-The Highlanders have won each of their two previous outings in Newark and have not lost at home since their season opener against Wagner on Nov. 9.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-Wednesday's matchup between Monmouth and NJIT marks the third all-time meeting between the two sides.
-The Hawks have claimed both of the previous meetings, with the most recent coming on Jan. 24, 2008 when Monmouth topped the Highlanders, 79-62, in West Long Branch.

WINNING BIG ON THE ROAD
Monmouth topped Dartmouth on Sunday, 55-37, marking not only the program's first victory over an Ivy League opponent since Dec. 5, 2010, but also the Hawks' first road win against an Ivy League foe since Dec. 13, 2005. The 18-point margin was Monmouth's largest margin of victory in a game since Feb. 19, 2019 when the Hawks bested Saint Peter's, 70-50. It was also the Hawks' largest margin of victory in a road contest since Nov. 28, 2014 when Monmouth defeated Wagner, 82-59, in Staten Island.
 
REELING IN THE BOARDS
Monmouth has outrebounded each of its previous two opponents and is averaging 44.5 boards per contest in the two outings. The Hawks have posted season-best team rebounding totals in back-to-back weeks, including a 51-rebound performance in the road win over Dartmouth on Sunday. Monmouth eclipsed the 50-rebound mark just once last season. The 99 total rebounds in the past two outings are the most by a Monmouth team across a two-game stretch since Jan. 5-7, 2018 when the Hawks corralled a combined 99 boards opposite Fairfield and Saint Peter's. 
 
SECOND HALF SURGES
Over the last two outings, Monmouth has found its rhythm in the second half. The Hawks have outscored the opposition a combined 73-49 in the second half of the last two contests and are shooting 43 percent from the field. Monmouth trailed at the half in both tilts and rallied back to either force overtime or win the game.