Monmouth University Women's Basketball--Game 19 PREVIEW vs. Towso

2023-24 Monmouth Women's Basketball Game Nineteen Preview

By: Megan O'Brien, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Monmouth Hawks (12-6, 5-2 CAA) vs. Towson (11-7, 3-4 CAA)
Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 - 7:00 p.m.
OceanFirst Bank Center - West Long Branch, N.J.

Watch
FloSports
Andrew Bern (Play-by-Play)
Dominique Patrick (Color)

Complete notes attached

OPENING TIP
• Returning home for the first time since Jan. 7, the Hawks are set to host Towson in a rematch of last year's CAA Championship game.
• Monmouth just completed its second three-game road trip sweep of the season, including a 67-55 win over William & Mary on Sunday.
• The Hawks are 1-1 all-time against Towson. The Tigers claimed victory in the regular season meeting in West Long Branch last year before the Hawks claimed the CAA Championship against Towson in March.
• Taisha Exanor finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win at William & Mary on Sunday. It was Exanor's first career double-double and the first double-double by a Hawk since Ariana Vanderhoop at Hofstra last year.
• Monmouth won the rebounding battle against William & Mary by a 43-27 margin. The Hawks enter play this week leading the CAA with a +9.3 rebounding margin.
• Sandrine Clesca led the Hawks with a career-high 15 points against the Tribe. It was Clesca's second straight game in double figures.
• Monmouth blocked seven shots in the win over William & Mary. It was the seventh time this season that the Hawks have recorded seven or more blocks in a game.
• The Hawks shot 49.1% from the field in the win over the Tribe. Monmouth improves to 8-1 this season when it shoots 40% or better from the field.
• The Hawks dished out 15 assists in the win over William & Mary. Monmouth has now handed out double digit assists in five straight games.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Tanisha Exanor finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday afternoon at William & Mary. It was Exanor's first double-double of her career and the first since Ariana Vanderhoop had 15 points and 13 rebounds against Hofstra on Feb. 3.

It was also the fourth time this season Exanor has scored in double figures and the second time she grabbed double digit rebounds.

FABULOUS AT FORTY
Monmouth finished Sunday's game at William & Mary shooting 49.1% from the field. It was the ninth time the Hawks have shot 40% or better from the field and Monmouth is 8-1 in those contests. The Hawks shot a season-best 50% from the field in the win over St. John's and later matched that mark in the road win at Drexel.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Monmouth finished with 15 assists against William & Mary. It marked the Hawks' fifth straight game with double digit assists. Belle Kranbuhl and Rosalie Mercille led the way with three assists each in that contest.

The Hawks have done a pretty good job of sharing the basketball this season. Sunday's game was the 12th time this season that the Hawks have handed double digit assists and Monmouth is 10-2 in those contests. Eight different Hawks have handed out at least 10 assists this season. Leading that group is Sandrine Clesca, who has 49 helpers on the year. Jania Hall (34) and Belle Kranbuhl (35) join Clesca as the Hawks that have dished out 30 or more assists on the season.

BE BIG IN THE LANE
The Hawks had seven blocks in Sunday's win over William & Mary. Taisha Exanor led the Hawks with five rejections in that contest.

It was the 13th time in 18 games that the Hawks have recorded at least five blocks in a game. The Hawks are currently tied for 9th nationally in blocks per game (5.7). Monmouth has posted at least eight blocks in a game five times this season. Belle Kranbuhl leads the Hawks with 42 blocks and ranks 19th nationally in blocks per game (2.33). Eleven different Hawks have recorded at least one block this season.

THANKS JANUARY
Monmouth put the wraps on a stellar month of January. The Hawks went 6-2 in the first 31 days of 2024, it was the most wins by a Hawks team in a month since the 2015-16 team won seven games in February. Monmouth outscored opponents by a +9.1 margin and outrebounded opponents by a +12.5 margin. Kaci Donovan averaged a team-high 12.3 points per game while Belle Kranbuhl pulled down 8.1 rebounds per game with 20 blocked shots.

SEEING DOUBLE
Monmouth had three players score in double figures in the win over William & Mary (Sandrine Clesca-15, Taisha Exanor-11, Rosalie Mercille-10). Clesca has scored in double figures in back to back games and four times this season. Exanor has reached double figures in four times this season. Mercille reached double figures for the second time in the month and third time this season.

CLEANING THE GLASS
Monmouth won the rebounding battle against William & Mary, 43-27. Taisha Exanor led the Hawks with 10 rebounds while Sandrine Clesca and Ella Farrelly each added seven boards.

Monmouth has now outrebounded their opponent in 15 games this season. The Hawks enter play this weekend leading the CAA with a +9.3 rebounding margin.

The Hawks are 8-1 this season when they pull down 40 or more rebounds in a game and 9-0 when they win the rebounding battle by a +10 margin. Last season the Hawks were 8-3 when they pulled down 40 or more rebounds in a game. Belle Kranbuhl is averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game while three other Hawks are averaging better than four rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson is 11-7 overall and 3-4 in the CAA. The Tigers had a three-game win streak snapped with a 73-59 loss at Delaware last time out. Patricia Anumgba leads the Tigers while averaging 14.9 points per game while Kylie Kornegay-Lucas is contributing 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

MUHawksWBBvTowsonPreview by Megan O'Brien

UP NEXT
Monmouth is back in action on Sunday, Feb. 2 when it hosts Stony Brook at 2 p.m. for National Girls and Women in Sports Day.