2023-24 Monmouth Women's Basketball Game Twenty-Two Preview
                                                                                       
Monmouth Hawks (14-7, 7-3 CAA) vs. Delaware (8-14, 4-6 CAA)
Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 - 2:00 p.m.  
OceanFirst Bank Center - West Long Branch, N.J.

Watch
NBC Sports Philadelphia/SNY/FloSports
Joe Vasile (Play-by-Play)
Jackson Heil (Color)

OPENING TIP
• Week six of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) concludes as Monmouth welcomes Delaware into the OceanFirst Bank Center.
• MU comes into the Delaware game, looking to build on the momentum of Friday's win over Northeastern and having won five of their last six contests.
• It will be the eighth meeting all-time between the Hawks and Blue Hens. Delaware leads the series, 6-1 but the Hawks claimed victory in the only meeting last year.
• Monmouth limited Northeastern to just 41 points on Friday afternoon. It was the fourth time this season the Hawks have held an opponent to under 50 points in a game.
• Belle Kranbuhl had a season-high 10 points on Friday against the Huskies while Jania Hall added a team-high 11 points.
• The Hawks dominated the rebounding battle against Northeastern, 43-26. It was the 11th time this season Monmouth has outrebounded an opponent by at least 10 boards.
• Monmouth enters Sunday's game looking for its seventh win of the season at home. The Hawks have won at least eight games at home in each of head coach Ginny Boggess' first two seasons.
• MU had 11 assists against Northeastern as Taisha Exanor and Sandrine Clesca each had three. Monmouth is 12-2 on the year when it hands out double digit assists.
• Monmouth added six blocks to it's season total against Northeastern. The Hawks have recorded six or more blocks in a game 12 times this season.

CLEANING THE GLASS
Monmouth won the rebounding battle against Northeastern, 43-26. Belle Kranbuhl led the Hawks with nine rebounds in that game while eight Hawks total had at least one rebound in that contest. 

Monmouth has now outrebounded their opponent in 17 games this season. The Hawks entered play Sunday leading the CAA with a +9.2 rebounding margin. 

The Hawks are 10-1 this season when they pull down 40 or more rebounds in a game and 11-0 when they win the rebounding battle by a +10 margin. Belle Kranbuhl is averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game while three other Hawks are averaging better than four rebounds per game.

NUMBERS FROM THE ROAD
The win over Northeastern on Feb. 9 stretched the Hawks' current win road streak to eight straight games. Monmouth entered play this week tied for the fourth longest road win streak in Division I women's basketball. The Hawks tied the 2002-03 team for the longest road win streak in program history with the win over the Huskies. Monmouth will look to set the mark on Feb. 16 at Campbell. 

SEEING DOUBLE 
A pair of Hawks scored in double figures against Northeastern. Jania Hall led the Hawks with 11 points. It was Hall's 11th game this season and 26 times in her career. Belle Kranbuhl had a season-high 10 points against the Huskies. She has now tallied double figures in 21 career games.

LOOKING FOR 800 
Kaci Donovan enters play Sunday with 797 career points as a Hawk. She needs three more points to become the 26th player in program history to score at least 800 points as a Hawk.

ROSA'S ROUNDING INTO FORM 
During the last six games, freshman Rosalie Mercille has stepped up her play for the Hawks. Mercille is averaging 8.8 points per game and hit for double figures in two of those contests (10-William & Mary, 16-Towson). Mercille has knocked down 10 three-pointers in that stretch while helping the Hawks post a 5-1 mark in those contests. 

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME
The Hawks return home looking for their seventh win of the season at home. Monmouth has won at least eight games at home in each of its first two seasons under head coach Ginny Boggess. So far this season at home, the Hawks are averaging 64.6 points per game. Kaci Donovan is tossing in 15.2 points per game while Belle Kranbuhl is contributing 7.1 rebounds per game with 30 blocks.

IRON HAWKS 
Belle Kranbuhl and Jania Hall have proven themselves to a consistent part of the Hawks' lineup during their careers. Kranbuhl appeared in her 100th career game when the Hawks faced Stony Brook on Sunday while Hall hit the century mark for games played at Northeastern. The school record for career games played at Monmouth is 130 and was set by Lucy Thomas last year.

LENDING A HELPING HAND 
Monmouth finished with 11 assists against Northeastern. Sandrine Clesca and Taisha Exanor each had three helpers to lead the Hawks' efforts in the contest.

The Hawks have done a pretty good job of sharing the basketball this season. Friday's win over Northeastern was the 14th time this season that the Hawks have handed double digit assists and Monmouth is 12-2 in those contests. Eight different Hawks have handed out at least 10 assists this season. Leading that group is Clesca, who has 54 helpers on the year. Jania Hall (39) and Belle Kranbuhl (39) join Clesca as the Hawks that have dished out 30 or more assists on the season. 

SCOUTING THE BLUE HENS
Delaware has lost two of its last three games following a 62-58 setback to William & Mary on Friday night. Tara Cousins is leading the Blue Hens while averaging 12 points per game. Chloe Wilson is adding 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. 

UP NEXT
Monmouth heads to North Carolina for games at Campbell and North Carolina A&T next weekend.