2022-23 Monmouth Basketball Game Twenty-Three Preview

Monmouth Hawks (2-20, 1-8 CAA) vs. Delaware Blue Hens (12-11, 4-6 CAA)
Thursday, February 1, 2023 - 7:00 p.m. ET
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ

TV
FloSports
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Steve Bazaz

QUICK BULLETS

-MU is returning home from a two-game road swing through North Carolina
-The Hawks come off the first CAA win in program history at North Carolina A&T
-Tahron Allen had a career best 23 points and nine boards at NC A&T
-Jack Collins is the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week after scoring 16 at NC A&T
-Jakari Spence set career highs in scoring (14) and assists (7) at NC A&T
-Allen's 23 points is the most in a game by a Hawk this season
-Nine of 11 Hawks to play in a game this year have a double-digit scoring game
-This is MU's first game in February
-After Andrew Ball started vs. UNCW, every Hawk has a start this season
-Myles Foster is the only Hawk to start every game this season

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
-be Monmouth's second win as a member of the CAA
-make MU 6-3 all time against Delaware
-be Monmouth's first home win this season
-start a winning streak of two games
-be the Hawks 23rd program win over a current CAA school
-be the Hawks third win of the season
-register as the 185th win of Rice's career
-move MU to 2-8 in the CAA

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT...
-The win marks Monmouth's first ever as a member of the CAA.
-MU scored a season-high 79 points.
-Tahron Allen posted career highs in points with 23, rebounds with nine and field goals made with eight.
-Allen's 23 points are the most by a Hawk in a single game this season.
-Jakari Spence posted career bests in points with 14, his first career game in double figures, as well as assists with seven and rebounds with five.
-Spence was a perfect 8-8 from the foul line, the most makes without a miss from the stripe for a Hawk this season.
-Spence's seven assists is the most by a Hawk in a single game this year.
-Jack Collins scored in doubles for the 10th time this season, and hit four threes for the third time.
-Klemen Vuga scored in double figures for the second game in a row, finishing one off a career-best with 14 points.
-Vuga tied a career-mark with three blocks.
-Monmouth is now 2-0 all time against North Carolina A&T.
-Myles Foster tied a career-high with three steals.
-The Hawks shot 52.8% from the field, a season best.
-MU was 54.5% from beyond the arc, also a season high.
-Monmouth tied a season best with 17 made free throws.
-The Hawks 42-point second half is the second highest scoring half of the season.
-The Hawks outshot the Aggies 52.8% to 37%.
-MU limited North Carolina A&T to 24.1% from deep.
-Monmouth dominated the glass, 37-28.
-The Blue and White led for 36:05 of the 40 minutes.
-MU dominated the paint, 36-18.


MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-This is the ninth ever meeting between the schools
-Monmouth leads the series 5-3
-The teams have not met since 1994
-The first meeting came in 1986, and the teams met in eight of nine seasons with the exception of 1992-93.

ON THE BOARD IN THE CAA
Monmouth posted its first win ever as a CAA member at North Carolina A&T, 79-64. MU is playing in its third league as a Division I competitor, with prior league opening wins coming on 1/7/86 over LIU Brooklyn, 76-66 at Boylan Gym to christen MU's days in the NEC. The Hawks first MAAC win came on 1/2/14 over Siena at home, 63-59.

ALLEN'S CAREER DAY
Tahron Allen was unstoppable at North Carolina A&T, posting a career best 23 points on a career high eight made field goals. His nine rebounds was also a career mark, as the sophomore made his first three since 11/25. He played 33 minutes.

COLLINS EARNS CAA HONORS... AGAIN
Jack Collins has now earned CAA Rookie of the Week after each of Monmouth's wins, becoming the first CAA award recipient in program history in December before earning the honor again this week, scoring 16 points on four triples at NCAT.

OK JAKARI
Jakari Spence had a monster afternoon at North Carolina A&T, posting his first career game in double figures with 14 points. He added career-highs with seven assists and five rebounds, and helped MU ice it down the stretch by going 8-8 from the foul line, the most makes without a miss by a Hawk this season.

SEASON HIGH IN SCORING
Monmouth's 79-point showing at North Carolina A&T is the Hawks highest point total this season.

VUGA REBOUNDING IT
Klemen Vuga posted his first career double-digit rebounding game at UNCW, finishing with 10 caroms to go with nine points, narrowly missing his first career double-double. He added eight more at North Carolina A&T.