2024-25 Monmouth Basketball Gameday Preview: Game Seven

Monmouth Hawks (0-6, 0-0 CAA) at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2-3, 0-0 Southland)
Friday, November 22, 2024 - 6:00 p.m. EST
Axe 'Em Classic - William R. Johnson Coliseum, Nacogdoches, TX

TV
ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Cade Haak

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

QUICK BULLETS
-Abdi Bashir Jr. was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week
-Bashir also won CAA Player of the Week
-Jaret Valencia scored a season-best 18 points against Youngstown State
-This is Monmouth's first game against Stephen F. Austin of all time
-Bashir's 38 points at Rutgers was a career-high and the second most for a Hawk under Rice
-Bashir was the first player in the nation to make 10 3's in a game this year
-Jordan Meka had a career-high seven points and three made field goals against Youngstown State
-Jaret Valencia was a Preseason All-CAA Second Team selection
-Jack Collins earned Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention 
-MU will play its first 11 games away from home, including eight true road games and three neutral site contests

A MONMOUTH WIN WOULD 
-mark the first win of the season for Monmouth
-be the 208th win of King Rice's career
-make the Hawks 1-6 this season
-be the first win in a Monmouth uniform for eight new Hawks
-mark a first ever win for Monmouth over Stephen F. Austin
-be MU's first road site victory this season
make the Hawks 1-4 against the Southland all time
snap a six-game losing streak to open the year

MORE INFO ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
-This is the first meeting all time between Monmouth and Stephen F. Austin
-Monmouth has not played a Southland opponent since 2009
MU played Southland members New Orleans (2002) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi, most recently in 2009 at home

NOTES FROM THE LAST TIME OUT
-Jaret Valencia's 18 points were a season-best, his first game in double figures of the year, and one shy of a career-high.
-Abdi Bashir has scored in double figures in every game this season.
-Jordan Meka's seven points marked a career-high, while his five boards was his most as a Hawk.
-Jack Collins grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
-Monmouth and Youngstown State met for the first time ever.
-The game was the first of six in the Axe 'Em Classic, hosted at William R. Johnson Coliseum at Stephen F. Austin University in
Nacogdoches, TX.
-Monmouth outrebounded Youngstown State 46-43.
-MU was better off turnovers, 22-14.
-The Hawks bettered YSU in the paint, 34-28.
-Monmouth won the second-chance points battle, 16-8.

NEXT UP
Monmouth closes the Axe 'Em Classic at Stephen F. Austin Saturday, taking on Presbyterian at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.