2022-23 Monmouth Basketball Game Twenty-Four Preview

Monmouth Hawks (3-20, 2-8 CAA) vs. Drexel Dragons (13-10, 7-4 CAA)
Saturday, February 4, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. ET
OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, NJ

TV
SNY/NBC Sports Philadelphia/FloSports
Play-by-Play: Eddy Occhipinti
Analyst: Dave Calloway

QUICK BULLETS

-MU has won its last two games
-The Hawks topped Delaware last time out for the first home CAA win ever
-Five Hawks scored in doubles vs. Delaware for the first time this season
-Myles Foster's five steals is the most by a Hawk in a game this season vs. UD
-MU exploded for 45 second-half points vs. UD, the highest scoring half this year
-The Hawks won their first CAA game 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
-Nine of 11 Hawks to play in a game this year have a double-digit scoring game
-Foster has started every game this season

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
-be Monmouth's third win as a member of the CAA
-make MU 4-10 all time against Drexel
-be Monmouth's second home win this season
-extend a winning streak to three games
-be the Hawks 24th program win over a current CAA school
-be the Hawks fourth win of the season
-register as the 186th win of Rice's career
-move MU to 3-8 in the CAA

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT...
-Monmouth won its first home game of the season and first ever CAA home contest.
-The win is Monmouth's second in a row.
-MU put five in double figures for the first time this season and first time snice Febru ary 23, 2022 against Manhattan.
-Myles Foster's five steals are a career high, the most by a Hawk in a game this season, and the most by a Hawk since George Papas had six at Manhattan on Febru ary 11, 2022.
-Klemen Vuga matched a career-best for the third time this season with three blocks.
-MU's 45 second-half points are the most scored in a half this season.
-Vuga had nine rebounds, the fourth time in five games he has registered eight or more.
-The Hawks posted a positive assist-turnover for the sixth time this season and second game in a row.
-MU's 22 made free throws is a season high.
-This was the first meeting between the teams in the CAA, and first matchup since 1994.
-Monmouth was 17-22 from the foul line in the second half and 13-14 in the final 3:09.
-MU outrebounded Delaware 38-35.
-Monmouth was better in the paint, 36-16.
-The Hawks won the battle off the bench, 16-9.
-MU was better on the move, 17-10.
-The Hawks never relinquished the lead after taking it with 14:31 remaining in the game.

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-Monmouth and Drexel are meeting for the 14th time ever
-Drexel leads the all-time series, 10-3
-The first meeting was played in 1993 under MU Head Coach Wayne Szoke, a 90-72 Dragons win in Philadelphia
-The teams have met three times since King Rice was named the Monmouth Head Coach, with the Hawks winning at Drexel in 2015, 82-74, and winning the 2016 season opener in West Long Branch, 78-65.
-While Rice and Drexel head coach Zach Spiker had never met at their respective schools before this season the two have squared off previously, splitting two contests in 2015 and 2016 while Spiker was the head man at Army West Point