Papas, Monmouth host Hofstra

Published Dec. 21, 2021 6:31 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Hofstra (7-5) vs. Monmouth (10-2)

OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, New Jersey; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two guards will be on display as Aaron Estrada and Hofstra will face George Papas and Monmouth. The junior Estrada is averaging 15.8 points and seven assists over the last five games. Papas, a senior, has scored 23 percent of the team's points this season and is averaging 17 over his last five games.

VETERAN PRESENCE: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Papas, Walker Miller, Shavar Reynolds Jr., Marcus McClary and Nikkei Rutty have combined to account for 84 percent of Monmouth's scoring this season. For Hofstra, Jalen Ray, Omar Silverio and Abayomi Iyiola have combined to score 37 percent of the team's points this season, including 44 percent of all Pride points over their last five.

FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Papas has made or assisted on 48 percent of all Monmouth field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has accounted for 19 field goals and 14 assists in those games.

TWO STREAKS: Hofstra has dropped its last four road games, scoring 67.8 points and allowing 77.8 points during those contests. Monmouth is on a three-game home winning streak, scoring an average of 79.3 points while giving up 68.3.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Pride have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Hawks. Monmouth has 38 assists on 69 field goals (55.1 percent) over its previous three matchups while Hofstra has assists on 57 of 97 field goals (58.8 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Hofstra offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.3 percent of its possessions, which is the 12th-best rate in the nation. The Monmouth defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 17.9 percent of all possessions (ranked 266th among Division I teams).

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