2023-24 Monmouth Basketball Gameday Preview: Game Eighteen
Monmouth Hawks (9-8, 2-2 CAA) at Drexel Dragons (12-6, 5-0 CAA)
Thursday, January 17, 2024 - 4:30 p.m.
Daskalkis Athletic Center, Philadelphia, PA
TV
CBS Sports
Play-by-Play: John Fanta
Analyst: Tarik Turner
RADIO
Monmouth Digital Network
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Steve Bazaz
QUICK BULLETS
-This is the first of two meetings between Monmouth and Drexel this year
-Xander Rice posted a career-high 34 points at Charleston on Saturday en route to a CAA Player of the Week honor
-Rice ranks 2nd in the CAA and 13th nationally with 20.7 points per game
-The 19-point win over Northeastern was MU's largest margin of victory this year
-Nikita Konstantynovskyi (14 pts, 10 rbs) recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Charleston
- Jaret Valencia has 14 blocks in four games in the month of January
- King Rice is two wins from 200 career
- Monmouth leads the CAA in three-point percentage at 37.8%
- 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 17 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 3-2
-register as the 199th win of Rice's career
-be King Rice's fourth career win over the Cougars
-hand Drexel its first CAA loss of the season
-be MU's third win in the calendar year of 2024
-be Monmouth's second victory over Drexel as a league member
-be Monmouth's first win in Philadelphia since November 21, 2015 (W, 82-74)
MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-This is the 16th meeting between the Hawks and Dragons
-Drexel leads the all-time series, 11-4
-Monmouth and Drexel will meet twice this season, with the Dragons set to make the trip to West Long Branch on February 1
-Last season, the two teams split the regular season series with each team collecting a win on home court
-Drexel ended Monmouth's 2022-23 season with a 64-45 win in the Second Round of the CAA Tournament
NOTES FROM LAST TIME OUT
-Xander Rice scored a career-high 34 points.
-Nikita Konstantynovskyi scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.
-Konstantynovskyi registered his fourth double-double of the season.
-Jack Collins dished out six assists to set a career high.
-Jakari Spence posted a seven-assist afternoon, a season-high and one off a caree high.
-Xander Rice topped the 20-point mark for the 12th game this season and fourth in a row.
-Jaret Valencia recorded three blocks, his fifth 3+ block game of the season.
-Monmouth made its first ever visit to Charleston.
-The Hawks started the same lineup for the 16th game in a row.
-Brothers Corey Miller and Charleston's Jack Miller competed against each other for the first time in college.
-Monmouth posted 16 assists to six turnovers.
-Monmouth was better from three, 41% to 31%.
-The Hawks were better on the move, 20-9.
-MU and Charleston each made 11 threes.
NEXT UP
-Monmouth returns home to face Hampton on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2:00 p.m.
-The all-time series is tied, 3-3
-The last time these two teams met, Hawks defeated the Pirates, 100-64, in the First Round of the 2023 CAA Tournament
-The game will be aired on FloSports
