2023-24 Monmouth Women's Basketball Game Thirty-One Preview
                                                                                       
Monmouth Hawks (21-9, 14-4 CAA) at Buffalo Bulls (19-13, 10-8 MAC)
Thursday, Mar. 21, 2024 - 6:00 p.m.  
Alumni Arena - Buffalo, N.Y.

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OPENING TIP
• Monmouth is back in the postseason for the second straight year as the Hawks open the WNIT with a road trip to Buffalo.
• MU is making its first appearance in the WNIT since the 2010-11 season when it lost to Syracuse in the first round.
• Monmouth ended the regular season on a 12-game road win streak. That set the school record and is the third longest road win streak in the country.
• This will be the first ever meeting between the Hawks and the Bulls. The Hawks have previously faced six teams from the Mid-American Conference. Monmouth has registered wins over Akron and Eastern Michigan.
• The Hawks blocked six shots in their CAA Quarterfinal game. Monmouth enters the week ranked fourth nationally while averaging 5.9 blocks per game.
• Monmouth enters the tournament with 21 wins. It is the fourth most wins in single-season history at Monmouth and two shy of the school record for wins in a season.
• Monmouth outrebounded Drexel in the CAA Tournament, 33-31. It was the 24th time this season that the Hawks have outrebounded an opponent.
• Ariana Vanderhoop led the Hawks with 16 points against Drexel. She has scored in double figures in eight straight games.
• Kaci Donovan has 55 made three-pointers this season. She needs just three more to move into the top 15 for single-season triples made.
• The Hawks rank ninth nationally for three-point field goal percentage defense (26.4).
 

BACK AGAIN 
The Hawks will make a postseason appearance for the second straight season after taking part in the NCAA Tournament last year. Monmouth is making its first WNIT appearance since the 2010-11 season. That the year the Hawks fell to Syracuse in the first round. 

JUST CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN 
Monmouth found plenty of success away from the OceanFirst Bank Center this season. The Hawks posted a 12-2 record in true road games this season. Monmouth won it's final 12 road games of the regular season, setting the school record for longest road win streak in the process and enters the WNIT with the third longest road win streak in the country. 

On the road, this season the Hawks are averaging 63.3 points and 40.4 rebounds per game. Monmouth has demonstrated a balanced attack on the road as five student-athletes are averaging better than seven points per game. That group is led by Ariana Vanderhoop, who is averaging 11.5 points per game. Defensively, Belle Kranbuhl is pulling down 7.6 rebounds per game with 36 blocks. 

GOING DEEP
Kaci Donovan knocked down a pair of three-pointers for the Hawks against Drexel in the CAA quarterfinals. That raised Donovan's season total to 55 triples made. The senior guard needs three more three-pointers to move into a tie for 15th place on the single-season triples made list at Monmouth (Carly Thibault - 58 in 2012-13). 

BE BIG IN THE LANE
The Hawks had six blocks vs. Drexel in the CAA Quarterfinals. Taisha Exanor led the way with three blocks while Sandrine Clesca registered two rejections in the contest.

That brings the Monmouth blocks total for the season to 177. The Hawks moved past the 1990-91 (161) team for the third most blocks in a single-season in the final week of the regular season. The Hawks need two more blocks to move into a tie for second on the single-season list.

So far this season, the Hawks have recorded at least six blocks in 17 of 31 games. The Hawks are 4th nationally in blocks per game (5.9). Monmouth has posted at least eight blocks in a game eight times this season. Belle Kranbuhl leads the Hawks with 74 blocks and ranks 15th nationally in blocks per game (2.47). Twelve different Hawks have recorded at least one block this season.

LET'S GO STREAKING  
Ariana Vanderhoop led the Hawks with 16 points in the CAA quarterfinals. It was the eighth straight game that the senior guard has scored in double figures in. Its  the longest streak of consecutive double figure scoring games for Vanderhoop in her career. She has scored in double figures in 46 games in her career. 

I'M HONORED 
The Hawks were well represented as the CAA released its end of the year awards on Tuesday afternoon. Senior guard Jania Hall was named the CAA Sixth Player of the Year to lead the accolades. Hall averaged 8.7 points per game with 55 assists off the bench. She is the third player in program history to win a Sixth Player of the Year award. 

Senior guards Kaci Donovan and Ariana Vanderhoop both took home All-CAA Third Team accolades. Donovan averaged 12.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while Vanderhoop contributed 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.  Senior center Belle Kranbuhl took home a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team for the second straight season. Kranbuhl ranked among the the CAA leaders while averaging 7.6 rebounds and 2.55 blocks per game. 

WE'LL TAKE THE CHARITY 
Monmouth has taken advantage of its chances from the foul line this season especially since CAA play began. In CAA play, the Hawks shot 73.3% from the foul line. 

When the Hawks made 13 free throws at Towson on March 7th it was the 14th time this season that Monmouth has made 13 or more free throws in a game. The Hawks are 11-2 when they make 13 or more free throws in a game. The Hawks' 28 made free throws against the Aggies were the most by a Hawks squad under head coach Ginny Boggess and the most by a Hawks squad in the last 10 years. 

SCOUTING THE BULLS
Buffalo entered the MAC Tournament as the fourth seed and knocked off Bowling Green and top seeded Toledo to reach the championship game. There the Bulls fell to Kent State. Buffalo is led on the season by Chellia Williams, who is averaging 22.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with 107 assists. Kirsten Lewis-Williams is adding 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. 

UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's game will take on Duquesne in the WNIT Second Round.