TICKETS
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ — Monmouth University begins its 2026-27 regular season campaign in the newly minted Hackensack Meridian Athletic Center (HMAC) Monday as the Hawks host the Binghamton Bearcats at 6:00 p.m.
Monmouth enters the year with its top players back from a 20-win season, including CAA Preseason Player of the Year pick
Gigi Gamble and All-CAA Preseason First-Team selection
Divine Dibula. The Hawks will have a tough opening test against the Bearcats (20-13 overall, 10-6 America East), who are also coming off a productive 2026-27 campaign and return their leading rebounder and two leading scorers from a season ago in seniors Bella Pucci and Kendall Bennett. Both programs were voted as preseason favorites by their respective conferences.
The two programs will meet for the second time ever, led by two head coaches,
Cait Wetmore of Monmouth and Mary Grimes of Binghamton, who have transformed their programs.
Both coaches head into their third season at the helm with Wetmore coming off her best season to date, which was buoyed by a historic offensive campaign as Monmouth ranked second in the CAA in points scored (2,107) last season. Under Wetmore, the Hawks reached a 21-12 overall record and finished 12-6 in CAA play, which marked the seventh time the program surpassed the 20-win threshold and just the third time in the last 15 years.
Grimes led the Bearcats to 35 wins in her inaugural two years, the most by any women's basketball coach in their first two seasons at Binghamton since the program was elevated to NCAA Division I 25 years ago. Grimes and the Bearcats come off a winning 2025-26 season, going 20-13 overall and 10-6 in the American East Conference (AEC) and like the Hawks, made a second-round appearance in the WNIT.
Binghamton will undoubtably be a tough opening test for Monmouth, which have expectations set high as Wetmore retained her top players and added key transfers that will make an immediate impact within the rotation.
Gallery: (10-21-2026) WBB vs Rider 10/21 - Anthony Diaz
The Hawks earned their first-ever CAA preseason No. 1 ranking in a unanimous decision. Only one other program has ever been a unanimous Preseason No. 1 pick in the CAA, as James Madison was voted to the honor prior to its 2015 and 2019 seasons, respectively. Monmouth also post two players on the All-CAA preseason first team in Dibula and Gamble, becoming the program's first, First-Team All-CAA Preseason picks in program history, while Gamble became the program's first ever Preseason Player of the Year selection.
Last season was only the fifth time in program history that the Hawks reached 21 wins, and the success earned Monmouth three postseason selections with Gamble notching first-team All-CAA honors, Dibula landing on second team and guard
Madalena Amaro being named to the All-CAA Rookie Team.
Gamble led Monmouth in points (471) and 3-pointers made (65) last year, averaging 15.2 points per game, which was fourth in the CAA. Dibula closely followed on the stat line, boasting 459 points and a team-high 79 free throws made. The graduate forward also led her team in rebounds (227) and blocks (35). Amaro was strategic on both sides of the ball, as the Faro, Portugal native led in assists (114) and steals (54) for the Hawks. Sophomore guard
Kathy Kersaint also returns to the squad, having played in 32 games with five starts in her first year and averaged 5.8 points per game, the fifth-most for Monmouth. The Hawks welcome two freshmen and three transfers for a 13-player-deep roster. Two key transfers who will immediately see action within the rotation are guards
Vanessa McManus and
Kailah Correa.
McManus (junior, guard; Staten Island, NY) played a season at Saint Leo University before starring at Cal Polytechnic State where she was a Big West Honorable Mention after averaging nearly 16 points per game with 20 double-figure scoring games. Correa (sophomore, guard; Lebanon, PA) spent her first collegiate season at the University of Delaware where she was an All-Conference USA Honorable Mention, along with landing on the CUSA All-Freshmen team after averaging nearly 10 points, three rebounds and three assists per game last season.
Leading up to their match against the Bearcats, the Hawks soared in their exhibition match against the Rider University Broncs on Oct. 21. Monmouth routed the visitors 78-49, with Gamble leading both teams with 24 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Dibula dominated the boards with a game-high nine rebounds and 12 points, while transfer junior guard
Vanessa McManus rounded out the Hawks' scoring with 13 points and five assists.
However, like the Hawks, the Bearcats also retained their top players from a 20-win season, leading to their No. 1 Preseason ranking in the AEC. Pucci and Bennett both landed Preseason All-AEC honors with Bennett later being named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List. It is only the third time in program history that the Bearcats have had selections to the Preseason All-AEC Team.
Pucci led the Bearcats in scoring with 499 points last season and topped the stat sheet in 3-pointers made (71) and steals (44). Bennett was a defensive powerhouse for Binghamton, leading the team by a substantial margin in rebounds (332) and blocks (42).
The two led Binghamton to a No. 3 seed in AEC tournament where they secured a buzzer-beater quarterfinal win over No. 6 Bryant, 45-44. However, the Bearcats then lost to the No. 2-seeded University of Maine, 60-56, in the second round.
Despite falling short in the conference tournament, Binghamton was invited to compete in the Women's National Invitational Tournament where it reached the semifinal round following a dominant 81-60 win over Mercyhurst, before their season came to an end with a loss to La Salle, 70-61.
At the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, Pucci and Bennett earned second-team all-conference accolades, and freshman Carletta Bennett notched All-Rookie honors. Under the direction of Grimes, both Pucci and Kendall Bennett have also made bids to the America East All-Defensive Team during their careers.
Despite losing key players in the starting five, including Meghan Casey and Kaia Goode, Binghamton returns three other players who had significant impact on the floor. Senior guards Yanniah Boyd and Leah Middleton are back on the roster, and the duo combined for 396 points last season. Carletta Bennett returns as well after being a key starter in the second half of the year, finishing second in blocks (13) and fourth in points (222) and rebounds (90). Binghamton also welcomes three transfer students and two freshmen, bringing its roster to 14.
The Hawks and Bearcats have faced each other just one other time in its history, which came on New Years Eve on Dec. 31, 2010, during Monmouth's Hawk Holiday Classic Tournament in West Long Branch, NJ. The Hawks defeated the Bearcats in the meeting, 60-51. The team went on to set a program record for wins that season (23) and made an appearance in the WNIT.
GAME INFO
Monmouth Hawks (0-0, 0-0 CAA) vs. Binghamton Bearcats (0-0, 0-0 AEC)
Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Hackensack Meridian Athletic Center (HMAC)
West Long Branch, NJ
WATCH:
Live: FloCollege/NBC Sports Philadelphia
Play-by-Play: Maria Marino
Analyst: Dominque Patrick
GAME PROMOTIONS:
Giveaways: free pizza for students, foam finger giveaway, women's basketball posters, stickers, buttons Student of the Game: Nespresso machine
TICKETING:
- NJ Teacher's Convention Week — kids attend free with purchase of adult ticket
- Fansgiving — give canned goods for the Nest and receive a voucher for select games
- Fan loyalty card launch (attend seven women's game and receive a prize)
BUY TICKETS TODAY BY CLICKING HERE
NEXT UP
- Monmouth will host Lehigh on Nov. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
- The game will be broadcast live on FloCollege and NBC Philadelphia
- In their last meeting on March 19, Monmouth bested Lehigh in the first round of the WNIT, 72-63
- Following the game against Lehigh, the Hawks will go on the road for the first time this season to play Rutgers on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
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