2023-24 Monmouth Basketball Gameday Preview: Game Seventeen

Monmouth Hawks (9-7, 2-1 CAA) at College of Charleston Cougars (12-4, 3-0 CAA)
Saturday, January 13, 2024 - 4:30 p.m.
TD Arena, Charleston, SC

TV
FloSports/The CW
Play-by-Play: Everett German
Analyst: Danny Johnson

RADIO
Monmouth Digital Network
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon

QUICK BULLETS
-Monmouth won its first two CAA games before dropping a road contest at UNCW
-Xander Rice finished with 26 points at UNCW - the 11th time he's posted 20+ this season
-Jakari Spence notched his first double- figure game of the season Monday
-This is MU's first ever trip ever to Charleston
-This is the only meeting between Monmouth and Charleston this year
-The 19-point win over Northeastern was MU's largest margin of victory this year
-King Rice is two wins from 200 career
-Monmouth leads the CAA in three-point percentage at 37.6%
-Monmouth finished non-conference play 7-6, the fifth non-league winning record under King Rice
-The Hawks have started the same lineup in all 16 games

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD...
-mark the 10th win of the season for Monmouth
-be MU's second true road win of the season
-improve Monmouth's CAA record to 3-1
-register as the 199th win of Rice's career
-be King Rice's first career win over the Cougars
-hand CofC its fifth loss of the season
-be MU's third win in the calendar year of 2024
-be Monmouth's first victory over CofC as a league member

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-This is the second ever meeting between the Hawks and Cougars
-Monmouth is making its first trip to Charleston
-Monmouth and Charleston will meet just once this season, with the Cougars not making the return trip to New Jersey
-Last season, the Hawks led the No. 18 Cougars, 31-28, at home before storming back in the second half for a 69-55 win to improve to 20-1

NOTES FROM LAST TIME OUT
-Xander Rice topped the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season.
-Jaret Valencia's five blocks were a career high and the most by a Hawk in a game since Chris Brady on January 14, 2017.
-Cornelius Robinson's seven rebounds were the second most of his career.
-Monmouth tied a season-high from the foul line, shooting 80%.
-Monmouth had a two-game winning streak snapped, and lost its first CAA game this season.
-Each team had 36 rebounds.
-MU blocked eight shots to UNCW's two.
-There were nine ties and 12 lead changes.
-UNCW shot 31 free throws to Monmouth's 15.

NEXT UP
-Monmouth travels to Drexel on Jan. 18
-The Hawks are 4-11 against the Dragons all time
-The two teams last met in the 2023 CAA Tournament
-The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network