2017-18 Rider University Women's Basketball
GAME 23: Saturday, February 3, 2018
Rider Broncs (9-13, 6-5 MAAC) at Monmouth Hawks (5-15, 3-6 MAAC)
Location: West Long Branch, NJ – OceanFirst Bank Center (4,100)
Tip: 2:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN 3
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Twitter: @RiderWBB & @RiderAthletics
Listen: 107.7 The Bronc
Notes: Monmouth

What You Need to Know
- Rider hits the road, traveling to the shore to square off with hOURglass rival Monmouth on Saturday, February 3 at 2:00 pm. On the road, the Broncs are 5-7 this season, including a 3-2 mark in MAAC road tilts. Rider has won four of their last six road games with the two setbacks coming at Marist and Quinnipiac.

- Last time out, Rider outscored Manhattan, 37-25, in the second half to score a 67-51 victory at home. The Broncs closed the first half on an 11-0 run to take a lead they would not surrender and held the Jaspers to just eight points in the fourth quarter to score the pivotal conference win. Rider put the game out of reach by scoring 15 of the first 17 points in the final frame.

- The Hawks enter the weekend with a 5-15 overall record and a 3-6 mark in MAAC play after dropping back-to-back conference games. Monmouth is 3-6 at home this season and the team has dropped two of their last three in front of their home crowd. However, Monmouth will be rested with their last game taking place on Sunday, January 28. It is a two-headed attack for the Hawks as both Kayla Shaw and Rhaiah Spooner-Knight average in double figures. Shaw is pouring in a team-best 12 points per game thanks to hitting over 35 percent of her shots from three-point range. Shaw was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team last season and she is now one of just two Hawks knocking down over 45 percent of her shots from the field. Spooner-Knight is scoring over 10 points per game and grabbing nearly five rebounds per contest. Alaina Jarnot has a team-best 54 assists this season. Shaw is also currently second in the MAAC in three-pointers made per game (2.2) this season. In the post, junior center Erica Balman is scoring five points and pulling down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. She is also tops in the MAAC with 2.1 blocked shots per game. As a team, the Hawks are last in the league in both turnover margin (-7.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.6). On the boards, Monmouth is grabbing a MAAC-best 40 rebounds per game and led by Balman, the Hawks rank second in the league in blocked shots per game (4.4).

- Monmouth leads the all-time series, 28-16. The Broncs have had the edge of late, winning each of the last three meetings. Under Head Coach Lynn Milligan, Rider is 8-4 against the Hawks. Her eight wins against Monmouth are her fourth-most against a MAAC opponent.

- This season, Rider is 8-0 when holding opponents to under 60 points. Rider has held their opponents under 60 points in all six of their conference wins this season. The Broncs are also 9-2 (6-1 in MAAC play) in 2017-18 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents. The Broncs have forced at least 17 turnovers in a game 13 times this season, including last time out against the Jaspers. Rider has a +1.2 turnover ratio this year which ranks third in the MAAC. 

- Versus Manhattan, sophomore guard Stella Johnson recorded her third double-double of the season thanks to a 12-point, 13-rebound performance. Her 13 rebounds were a new career-high as she picked up her second career double-double in MAAC play. Senior Kamila Hoskova has also registered a pair of double-doubles this season. They are the only two Broncs to have a double-double this year. Against the Jaspers, Hoskova finished one rebound shy of a double-double. It was her third game in which she ended up one rebound away from a double-double.

- Stella Johnson has been stellar in conference play this season. She is averaging over 15 points, nearly seven rebounds and more than two steals per game against MAAC opponents. She is also knocking down better than 47 percent (70-of-146) of her shots from the field over the last 11 games. Lexi Posset has also turned it on during league play, averaging 13 points and three assists per tilt. Posset is also shooting 46.7 percent (21-of-45) from three-point range in conference play.