Iona seeks revenge on Monmouth

Monmouth (11-7, 5-2) vs. Iona (5-9, 3-4)

Hynes Athletics Center, New Rochelle, New York; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Monmouth goes for the season sweep over Iona after winning the previous matchup in West Long Branch. The teams last played on Jan. 5, when the Hawks outshot Iona from the field 44 percent to 38.3 percent and had eight fewer turnovers en route to the 12-point victory.

LEADING THE CHARGE: The Hawks are led by Ray Salnave and Deion Hammond. Salnave has averaged 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while Hammond has recorded 15.9 points per game. The Gaels have been anchored by seniors Tajuan Agee and E.J. Crawford. Agee has accounted for 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds while Crawford has averaged 17 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing.

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Gaels have allowed only 70 points per game across seven conference games, an improvement from the 75.3 per game they gave up to non-conference competition.SOLID SALNAVE: Salnave has connected on 48.6 percent of the 70 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 12 of 20 over the last five games. He’s also converted 86.7 percent of his free throws this season.

YET TO WIN: The Hawks are 0-5 when they allow at least 73 points and 11-2 when they hold opponents to anything below 73. The Gaels are 0-9 when allowing 70 or more points and 5-0 on the season, otherwise.

ASSIST RATIOS: The Hawks have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Gaels. Iona has 35 assists on 75 field goals (46.7 percent) across its past three contests while Monmouth has assists on 44 of 72 field goals (61.1 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Monmouth has committed a turnover on just 18.8 percent of its possessions this season, which is the second-best percentage among all MAAC teams. The Hawks have turned the ball over only 13.4 times per game this season.