MAAC TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
#11 Canisius Golden Griffins (5-24, 3-17 MAAC) vs. #6 Monmouth Hawks (14-15, 9-11 MAAC)
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – 1:30 p.m. EST
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.
 
TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Greg Mescall
Analyst: Dianne Nolan
Sideline: Geoff Brault
 
Monmouth Notes

OPENING TIP
-Monmouth enters the MAAC Tournament as the sixth seed for the first time since joining the MAAC prior to the start of the 2013-14 season.
-The Hawks have won one MAAC Tournament game in seven of the last eight seasons. 
-Monmouth currently has 14 wins on the season, the most for the program since the 2018-19 campaign. A win over Canisius would give the Hawks 15 for the year, a mark that hasn't been hit since the 2016-17 season when the team finished 15-16 overall.
-The Hawks begin postseason play after falling in their regular season finale to Siena, 69-65, after topping Marist earlier in the week. 
-Canisius halted a four-game skid on Saturday by besting Iona, 71-62, at home. The Golden Griffins have lost 27 straight games away from Buffalo, N.Y. They are looking for their first win away from home since Jan. 4, 2020.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-Tuesday's matchup between Monmouth and Canisius marks the 20th all-time meeting between the two sides and the third this season.
-Monmouth swept Canisius during the regular season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. In the last meeting, the Hawks secured their first true road win opposite the Golden Griffins in Buffalo, N.Y., since Feb. 21, 2016.   
-Tuesday's game also marks the fourth time that Monmouth and Canisius are facing off in the MAAC Tournament. The Hawks are currently 3-0 against the Golden Griffins with the most-recent victory coming on March 9, 2019 (64-53).
 
CLARK COLLECTS ALL-MAAC HONORS
Graduate student Stella Clark was named Second Team All-MAAC this past Monday. She became the first Hawk to garner second team postseason honors from the conference since Sierra Green '19 received the recognition following the 2018-19 campaign. Clark led Monmouth in scoring and assists this season, while finishing second in rebounding. She averaged 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. She scored in double figures in 17 outings and posted four 20-point performances. The Sea Girt, N.J., native was 14th in the MAAC in scoring, 17th in rebounding and third in assists with the fifth-most 3-pointers made (51).
 
THOMAS AGAINST THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Senior forward Lucy Thomas has seen Canisius six times in her career and has experienced a great deal of success. She is averaging 12 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting the ball at a 48-percent clip from the field. She has posted four double-digit scoring performances and a double-double. In the last MAAC Tournament meeting between the two squads (March 9, 2019), Thomas led the Hawks to a 64-53 win in Albany, N.Y., with a game-high 18 points and nine boards. The Ocean, N.J., native also played a pivotal role in the Hawks' come-from-behind win in the most-recent game against Canisius on Feb. 10, scoring a team-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting to pair with seven boards. She missed her first two shots in the game and went on to make eight baskets in a row, with five coming in her 10-point fourth quarter.
 
THE 20-POINT MARK
Graduate student guard Stella Clark posted her fourth 20-point performance of the season after scoring a team-best 21 in the Hawks' most-recent game against Siena on Thursday. She is the first Hawk to log four or more 20-point games in a season since Sierra Green '20 recorded five during the 2018-19 campaign.