Manhattan Jaspers (16-9, 11-5 MAAC) at Monmouth Hawks (13-10, 8-6 MAAC)
Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 – 2 p.m. EST
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, N.J.
 
TV
ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Ali Jaques
 
Monmouth Notes
 
MONMOUTH COVID-19 POLICIES
Monmouth University has announced its campus-wide indoor event COVID-19 policies.
 
The following policies are in effect until further notice:

1. All fans 18 and over are required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test administered by a doctor's office or a clinic within 72 hours of the event time for indoor Athletic events. Home test kit results will not be accepted.
2. All event audiences must wear a mask that completely covers the nose and mouth of the participant. Face shields are not acceptable. This includes fans from 2-17 years of age.
3. Athletic events held in the OceanFirst Bank Center will be permitted to have food in the stands as long as masks remain on when the participant is not actively consuming food or beverages. Masks must be worn otherwise.
 
Men's and women's basketball season ticket holders will be mailed (and emailed) instructions on how to obtain a vaccine credential which will require them to show their vaccine cards once and receive a credential to speed up entrance to events. Season ticket holders who are not vaccinated will need to show proof a negative test within 72 hours of the event for every event attended.
 
Additionally, there will be separate entrances for students, season ticket holders and the general public. More information on those locations will be available on MonmouthHawks.com

OPENING TIP
-A win would give Monmouth its eighth home victory of the season, marking the most for the program since the 2015-16 team won eight.
-A victory against Manhattan would also extend Monmouth's home win streak to four games, the longest since the 2015-16 squad capped the season with four home wins in a row.
-Sophomore center Belle Kranbuhl is one block shy of cracking into the top-10 all-time in program history. She would tie Jewonda Bright '04 for 10th all-time.
-Monmouth is looking to get back into the win column following two consecutive road losses to Niagara and Rider.
-Manhattan has been one of the hottest teams in the MAAC, winning three in a row and seven of its last eight. The Jaspers have won three in a row on the road and have not lost away from home since Jan. 22.    
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-Saturday's matchup between Monmouth and Manhattan marks the 32nd all-time meeting between the two sides and the second this season.
-The Jaspers claimed the first meeting this year on Jan. 30 after topping the Hawks, 73-57, in Riverdale, N.Y. Kaci Donovan had a career game that day, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four treys. Ariana Vanderhoop also logged double-digit points, coming away with 11.
-Manhattan secured a pair of road wins last season in West Long Branch, but four of the last five meetings at OceanFirst Bank Center between the Hawks and Jaspers have been decided by single digits.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
After besting Saint Peter's, 66-62, on Feb. 7, the Hawks picked up their seventh home victory of the season. It's the most wins inside OceanBank Center for the program since the 2017-18 team won seven. Monmouth last won eight games in West Long Branch during the 2015-16 season when the team finished 8-6 in home contests.
 
RECENT HOME SUCCESS
The Hawks are currently on a three-game home win streak, the longest for the program since the 2015-16 team finished the season with four in a row. During that stretch, graduate student Stella Clark is averaging 14 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the field and reeling in 6.3 boards per outing. Jen Louro (10.5 ppg) and Belle Kranbuhl (10.3 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points per contest, while Kranbuhl is logging a team-best 7.0 boards per game. Monmouth has outscored the opposition by +7.7 points per tilt.
 
THOMAS ON A TEAR
Senior forward Lucy Thomas has elevated her offensive production over the last few games for the Hawks. Over her last three outings, the Ocean, N.J., native is shooting 18-of-25 (72%) from the field while averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. She led Monmouth in scoring in two of the three contests and spearheaded the Hawks' fourth-quarter comeback against Canisius on Feb. 10 by going a flawless 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 of the team's 29 points in the closing 10 minutes. From the 3:51 mark of the first quarter against Canisius until the one-minute mark of the fourth quarter at Niagara, Thomas made 15 consecutive shots without a miss.
 
CRASHING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
Monmouth has reeled in double-digit offensive rebounds in nine straight outings, marking the longest streak for the program since the 2018-19 team did it in 12 consecutive contests to close out the season. As a team, the Hawks have averaged double-digit offensive rebounds in each of the past nine seasons.