2022-23 Monmouth Women's Basketball Game Eight Preview
                                                                                       
Monmouth Hawks (4-3, 0-0 CAA) hosts St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (1-6, 0-0 NEC)
Thursday, December 1, 2022 - 7:00 p.m.
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ
 
TV
FloSports/SNY
Eddy Occhipinti (Play-by-Play)
Domonique Patrick (Analyst)

Opening Tip
• Coming off a thrilling OT comeback win, the Hawks get back at it tonight against St. Francis Brooklyn.
• This is the 60th meeting in the all-time series between MU and the Terriers. The Hawks leads the series, 53-6.
• Monmouth has 10 wins in 16 home games under head coach Ginny Boggess.
• Sunday's game marked the fourth time the Hawks have rallied from a double-digit deficit under head coach Ginny Boggess to win but the first time that rally came from a second half deficit.
• Ariana Vanderhoop poured in a career-high 17 points in the victory over NJIT. She scored 11 of those points in the second half or overtime to spur the comeback.
• The Hawks turned in their second best rebounding performance of the season against NJIT. Monmouth won the battle on the boards, 45-38. Belle Kranbuhl led the MU efforts with a game-high 10.
• Ariana Vanderhoop, Bri Tinsley and Belle Kranbuhl all scored in double figures against NJIT. The Hawks are now 3-0 on the season when at least three players score in double figures.
• Monmouth knocked down a season-high 11 three-pointers at Navy. It was their most three-pointers in a game since the 2019-20 season.
• Monmouth is embarking on its first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
• Five Hawks played locally in the Shore Conference prior to MU (Louro, Marsicano, Panayides, Richardson, Thomas).
• Following tonight's game, Monmouth is off till Dec. 7 when it visits LaSalle.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
Monmouth rallied from a 13-point third quarter deficit for the 70-62 overtime win over NJIT on Sunday. It was the fourth time the Hawks have rallied from a double-digit deficit to win under head coach Ginny Boggess. It was the first time MU rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to secure the victory.

ARI IS AWESOME
Ariana Vanderhoop poured in a career-high 17 points to lead the Hawks to the victory over NJIT. She shot 6-for-14 from the floor and made 3-of-6 chances from the foul line. The junior guard scored 11 of her 17 points in the second half and overtime to help spark the comeback win. Her three-pointer to start overtime gave the Hawks a lead they would not relinquish.

BATTLE ON THE BOARDS
One of the keys for the Hawks during the early going has been the ability to win the rebounding battle. Monmouth outrebounded NJIT, 45-38 on Sunday afternoon. That effort was paced by Belle Kranbuhl, who had a game-high 10 and Lovin Marsicano, who had a career-high 8 rebounds against the Highlanders. MU is 4-1 on the season when it outrebounds its opponents. Eight Hawks are averaging two or more rebounds per game this season. 

SEEING DOUBLE
Another key for the Hawks through the first seven games has been the ability to get everyone involved in the offense. Ariana Vanderhoop (17 pts.), Belle Kranbuhl (11 pts.) and Bri Tinsley (10 pts.) all hit for double digits in the win over NJIT. Monmouth is now 3-0 on the season when at least three players score in double figures in the game. 

NOT IN MY HOUSE
Monmouth has worked hard to get their hands on a lot of opponents shots this season. The Hawks blocked a season-high nine shots against NJIT. Belle Kranbuhl had a season-best five rejections in that game while four other players all recorded one block.

Monmouth is now averaging 4.3 blocks per game and is 2-1 on the year when the Hawks record at least five rejections in a game. The Hawks currently rank second in the CAA for blocks per game. Kranbuhl is also second in the CAA while recording 2.0 blocks per game. Lovin Marsicano is adding 1.0 blocks per game and is tied for 8th.

TIME CHANGE ALERT
Please note that Monmouth's CAA opener against Northeastern on December 30 will now start at 3 pm as opposed to the originally listed 7 pm start time.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Monmouth women's basketball team has done a good job of handing out the assists this season. The Hawks have recorded 10 or more assists in six of the first seven games and has 15 or more assists in four of those contests. MU had a season-high  22 assists at Navy. The Hawks enter Thursday's game ranked fifth in the CAA in assists per game (14.57).

Bri Tinsley leads the Monmouth efforts as she is averaging 4.1 assists per game. Tinsley ranks fifth in the CAA in assists per game and fourth in assist to turnover ratio (1.9).

SWEET 70
The Monmouth women's basketball team scored 70 points in the overtime win over NJIT. It was the fourth time this season the Hawks have scored 70 or more points in a game. MU is a perfect 4-0 in those contests. They scored a season-high 79 points in the win over NJCU. 

HEATING UP LATE
MU knocked down eight three-pointers in the win over NJIT. After knocking down just one of seven chances in the first half, the Hawks heated up after halftime as they drained seven shots from behind the arc. Ariana Vanderhoop, Bri Tinsley and Lovin Marsicano all knocked down two three-pointers.

Monmouth is 3-1 on the year when it drains eight or more three-pointers in a game.      

SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
St. Francis Brooklyn sits at 1-6 on the year and is looking to snap a six-game losing streak. The Terriers fell to Youngstown State last time out. Alyssa Fisher is averaging 15.6 points per game. 

UP NEXT
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 7 when it travels to LaSalle for a 6:30 pm game.