Monmouth Hawks (6-4, 1-0 MAAC) at Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-5, 1-1 MAAC)
Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 – 6 p.m. EST
People's United Center, Hamden, Conn.
 
TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Steve Lennox
Analyst: Billy Mecca
Analyst: Dianne Nolan
 
Monmouth Notes
 
OPENING TIP
-Monmouth is in search of its first win in Hamden, Conn., against Quinnipiac since March 6, 2012 in the NEC Tournament Semifinals when the Hawks topped the Bobcats, 69-66.
-A win over Quinnipiac would put Monmouth at 2-0 to start MAAC play for the first time in program history.
-The Hawks will look to capture back-to-back conference road victories for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign when they bested Siena (Feb. 9) and Niagara (Feb. 19).  
-Monmouth has won four consecutive road outings and is coming off wins at Iona and St. Francis Brooklyn before 2021 came to a close.
-Similar to the Hawks, Quinnipiac's last game came on Dec. 20. The Bobcats fell to Fairfield in their conference home opener, 62-66, after topping Rider two days prior in Lawrenceville, N.J., 64-60.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-Thursday's matchup between Monmouth and Quinnipiac marks the 51st all-time meeting between the two sides.
-The Bobcats have secured each of the previous 11 meetings, including a pair of wins at the People's United Center last season on Feb. 6 (68-54) and Feb. 7 (53-38).
 
NON-CONFERENCE WINS
After topping St. Francis Brooklyn, 76-63, on Dec. 20, Monmouth finished its 2021-22 non-conference schedule with five wins. The five out-of-conference victories are the most in a single season for the Hawks since claiming five during the 2016-17 campaign.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Despite starting 0-2 away from West Long Branch to open the season, Monmouth has gone on to capture four consecutive true road victories. It's the longest road win streak in program history since the 2003-04 team won six in a row. During the win streak, Monmouth has held a +12.3 scoring margin while knocking down 45 percent of its shots from the field. The Hawks' perimeter defense has made a difference, limiting the opposition to a 24-percent clip from long range, while Monmouth has connected on 37 percent of its treys.
 
OFFENSIVE ERUPTION IN BROOKLYN
The Monmouth women's basketball team had one of its best offensive outings in quite some time after defeating St. Francis Brooklyn, 76-63, on Dec. 20. The 76 points were the most scored in a game by a Hawks' team since Jan. 14, 2020 when they topped Saint Peter's, 81-67. Opposite the Terriers, the Hawks buried 33 shots, the most by a Monmouth team since Feb. 22, 2019. The Hawks connected on 59 percent of their shots in the road win, the most efficient shooting performance since Jan. 7, 2010.
 
EFFICIENCY IS KEY
Monmouth has found its rhythm offensively over the past two outings, connecting on over 50 percent of their shots from the field in the pair of victories. The last time the Hawks made more than 50 percent of their shots in back-to-back games came on Feb. 19 and Feb. 22 during the 2018-19 campaign. Monmouth has not shot over 50 percent from the field as a team in multiple games during the same season since the 2018-19 season when the Hawks reached that mark three times.
 
FOUR HAWKS A SCORING
Four different Hawks recorded double-digit points in the team's road win at St. Francis Brooklyn on Dec. 20. It was the first time since Jan. 14, 2020 that Monmouth had four different players record double figures in the scoring column in a game.
 
CAREER NIGHT FOR RICHARDSON
Sophomore Kayla Richardson caught fire in the Hawks' most-recent outing at St. Francis Brooklyn, tallying a career-best 21 points off the bench on 9-of-13 shooting while knocking down all three of her attempts from long range. She added a career-high four assists and tied her career-best rebounding total (5) against the Terriers. Richardson is the second Hawk to eclipse the 20-point mark in a game this year after Stella Clark dropped 27 opposite Iona on Dec. 18.
 
CLARK AND LOURO HEATING UP
In the month of December, guards Stella Clark and Jen Louro made a significant impact on the offensive end of the ball. Over their five December outings, Clark averaged 15.2 point per game while Louro logged 12.4 points per contest. The duo has combined for 46 percent of Monmouth's scoring during that five-game stretch, while shooting the ball at a 39 percent clip from the field.