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You learn a lot about a team when it has its back against the wall.
And so, with the CAA leaders starting to slip away, and the memory of Saturday’s disheartening 23-point loss at Campbell lingering, Monmouth (5-14, 3-3 CAA) opens a late-week road trip against two of the league’s best Thursday (7 p.m.; FloCollege/Monmouth Digital Network), taking on Elon (13-6, 4-2 CAA) at the Schar Center in Elon, North Carolina.
Monmouth then faces CAA co-leader William & Mary Saturday at 2 p.m. in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Hawks have not swept one of the two-game road trips since joining the league in 2022-23.
So which Monmouth team will show up? The one that beat Charleston, or the one that got trounced by a pair of 300-plus NET teams?
Monmouth’s Justin Ray drives against North Carolina A&T on Jan. 16, 2024 in Greensboro, N.N.
The answer will say a lot about the Hawks’ prospects for the coming weeks.
More: Monmouth stumbles badly at Campbell, 81-58, as offense collapses in CAA road test
On paper, this is as tough a road game as Monmouth will face in league play. Elon lost by 14 points at North Carolina and had a near-miss at Notre Dame, while beating a Northern Illinois team that whipped Monmouth by 27 points.
But Elon also lost to Maine and Gardner-Webb, and comes in off a two-point loss at Delaware.
Here are three keys for Monmouth as it hits the road to face Elon. Check back Thursday night for complete game coverage:
1. Play defense for 40 minutes
Monmouth’s defense in the second half against Campbell was embarrassing. The Fighting Camels scored 54 points and shot 63% over the final 20 minutes, including 5-of-10 from deep. It was reminiscent of Delaware scoring 51 points and shooting 66.7%, hitting 8-of-10 three-points, in the first half, or Lehigh scoring 51 points and shooting 59% in the second half. Temple scored 54 points and shot 64 percent in the first half.
Every once in while the Hawks dig in on defense, but not for 40 minutes, game-in and game-out. That has to change or they…
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Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press
Publish date : 2025-01-23 11:13:00
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