2023-24 Monmouth Women's Basketball Game Two Preview
                                                                                       
Monmouth Hawks (0-1) vs. St. John's (1-0)
Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. (Be there by 6:45 pm for 2023 Banner Unveiling) 
OceanFirst Bank Arena - West Long Branch, NJ

Watch
FloSports
Eddy Occhipinti (Play-by-Play)
Maria Marino (Color)

OPENING TIP
• Monmouth opens it's home slate tonight as it welcomes St. John's to the OceanFirst Bank Center.
• The Hawks will unveil the 2023 NCAA Tournament banner before the game on Friday night. Last year's grad students - Lovin Marsicano, Lucy Thomas, Bri Tinsley and Jen Louro will be on hand for the ceremony which begins at 6:52 p.m.
• This will be the seventh meeting all-time between the Hawks and Red Storm. St. John's leads the series 6-0.
• MU is starting a three-game homestand with the St. John's game. The Hawks won nine games at home last year.
• Monmouth had five players make their Hawks' debuts on Monday night - Sandrine Clesca, Taisha Exanor, Jaye Haynes, Rosalie Mercille and Divine Dibula.
• MU is coming off a 2022-23 season in which it won 18 games, captured the CAA Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 40 years.
• The Hawks are returning three starters and seven players total that secured valuable experience last year.
• Coach Boggess and the Hawks welcome in eight newcomers, including three transfers for this year.
• The Hawks were picked sixth out of 14 teams in the CAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Coach Boggess welcomes two new staff members to the nest this season - assistant coach Geoff Lanier and director of program operations - Nijeria Carter.
• Ariana Vanderhoop, who earned Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention accolades, is the Hawks' leading returning scorer (10.5 ppg).
• Five Hawks played in Canada before joining the Monmouth family - Ella Farrelly, Taisha Exanor, Sandrine Clesca, Rosalie Mercille and Divine Dibula.
• Monmouth remains home following the St. John's game for two more contests - Sacred Heart (Nov. 15) and UMass (Nov. 19).
 

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME
Monmouth kicks off the home portion of its schedule as it returns to the OceanFirst  Bank Center to take on St. John's. The Hawks recorded nine of their 18 wins at home last season and finished with a 9-4 record at home. It was Monmouth's most home wins since the 2012-13 team went 9-5 at home. The Hawks outscored opponents by a +1.4 margin at home and outrebounded them by a +5.3 margin.

SEEING DOUBLE
Monmouth had a pair of players score in double figures in the season opener on Monday night at Rutgers. Ariana Vanderhoop led the Hawks with 14 points in that contest while Rosalie Mercille scored 10 in her collegiate debut. For Vanderhoop, it was the 30th game of her career in double figures.

NOT IN MY HOUSE
The Hawks made their presence felt on the defensive end Monday night. Monmouth blocked eight shots in the game. Belle Kranbuhl led the way with four swats while Taisha Exanor had two blocks. 

The eight rejections are one off the Hawks' season-high a year ago. Last season they recorded nine blocks in a game twice (NJIT and College of Charleston). The Hawks led the CAA a year ago with 124 blocks in 34 games. 

WE'LL TAKE THE CHARITY
Monmouth turned in a solid performance from the foul line against Rutgers. The Hawks went 17-for-21 in the game, including an impressive 11-for-13 performance in the second half. Monmouth's efforts were led by Ariana Vanderhoop, who went 8-for-10 in the contest. Both numbers are career-highs for the senior. The eight free throws made are the most by a Hawk since Lovin Marsicano hit eight against Delaware last year on Jan. 1. 

VANDERHOOP HONORED
Senior guard Ariana Vanderhoop was named Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention when the league announced its preseason accolades. Vanderhoop is coming off a strong junior season in which she averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She had 17 games in which she scored in double figures.

BIG BELLE ON THE BLOCK
Monmouth's top returning defender is senior center Belle Kranbuhl. The center had a team-best 64 blocks last season. That gave her 160 blocks for her career. Kranbuhl enters Friday's game needing just 36 more blocks to reach 200 for her career. She would become the four player in program history to reach the mark and the first since Suzanne Johnson (1988-91).

OH CANADA
Monmouth boasts five players on its roster from Canada in 2023-24. Sophomore Ella Farrelly, who hails from Ontario, is joined on the roster by seniors Taisha Exanor (Quebec) and Sandrine Clesca (Quebec). Also on the roster this year are freshmen Divine Dibula (Ontario) and Rosalie Mercille (Quebec).

TRANSFERRING IN
Head Coach Ginny Boggess has bolstered the roster with the addition of three transfers, who have the chance to make an immediate impact. Point guard Sandrine Clesca and forward Taisha Exanor make their way to West Long Branch after playing the last three years at the University of Pittsburgh. Clesca had 60 assists during her Pittsburgh career while Exanor had 184 rebounds. Guard Jaye Haynes comes to Monmouth after playing the last three seasons at La Salle. She tallied 338 points over the last two years for the Explorers. 

FRESHMAN CLASS
Five freshmen make up this season's class, including guards Rosalie Mercille, Kellyn Preira, Diamond Wiggins and Isabella Murray and forward Divine Dibula. This year's class hails from three different states (Preira-Massachusetts, Wiggins-Virgina and Murray-New Jersey) and two from north of the border in Canada (Mercille and Dibula).

SCOUTING THE RED STORM
St. John's is coming off an 81-44 win over LIU in the season opener on Monday. Unique Drake led the Red Storm with 27 points in that contest while Jillian Archer added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Monmouth remains home to host Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.