WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (Interstat) — A pivotal late-season Coastal Athletic Association women’s basketball clash is set for Thursday when the Monmouth Hawks host the Towson Tigers at the Multipurpose Activity Center.

The Hawks (19-10) look to solidify their standing and rebound from a narrow 45-44 home loss to Hofstra last Sunday. Monmouth had won three straight prior to that defeat and four of its last six. A key to their success will be forward Divine Dibula, who is coming off a 10-point performance against Hofstra. Dibula has been a force recently, including a 24-point, 15-rebound outing in a double-overtime win at Drexel on Feb. 8 and a 22-point game at William & Mary on Feb. 20.

The visiting Tigers (16-12) arrive with momentum from a 63-55 road victory at Campbell on Feb. 27. Towson has alternated wins and losses over its past six games. They are led by dynamic guard India Johnston, who poured in 24 points in the win at Campbell. Johnston is in a prolific scoring stretch, averaging 19.3 points over her last seven contests, including a 31-point effort at William & Mary on Feb. 15.

This matchup is a quick rematch of a Jan. 16 meeting, which Monmouth won 56-53 at Towson. In that game, the Hawks limited Towson’s offense and secured a tight road victory.

Thursday’s contest carries significant weight for conference tournament seeding. Monmouth, with the better overall record, will aim to protect its home court and complete a regular-season sweep. Towson seeks to avenge the earlier loss and build a winning streak heading into its regular-season finale against Drexel on Saturday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The game will be a test of Monmouth’s defensive consistency against a high-scoring guard in Johnston, while the Tigers must find an answer for Dibula’s interior presence to split the season series.