The College of Charleston women’s basketball team is preparing for a road game against Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the OceanFirst Bank Center.
Charleston enters the matchup with a 20-3 overall record and remains undefeated in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play at 12-0. This marks the best start to conference play in program history. The Cougars have achieved at least 20 wins for the third consecutive season, which is a first during their Division I era.
Earlier this season, Charleston secured a significant victory over Florida State, marking its second consecutive win against a Power 4 opponent and its first against an ACC school since defeating Clemson in 2009. The team is currently ranked sixth in the latest College Insider Mid-Major top-25 poll, which is the highest position ever reached by the program. Additionally, Charleston holds rankings of No. 100 in NET and No. 114 according to Torvik.
The roster includes two returning starters from last year’s WNIT Super 16 squad, including Taryn Barbot, who was named CAA Player of the Year. The team also features six returning contributors and seven newcomers, such as transfers Tyja Beans from Western Carolina and Grace Ezebilo from Tyler Junior College.
Charleston set a new program record for most wins in a Division I season with 25 victories during the 2024-25 campaign. The Cougars also earned their first Power 4 win since 2009 by defeating Northwestern at the Hawk Classic on December 20, 2024.
Sunday’s game will offer free admission and will be broadcast on FloCollege.
Statistically, Charleston has two players ranked among the top-20 nationally in key categories. Grace Ezebilo stands fifth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.5), sixth in rebounds per game (12.1), eighth in total rebounds (267), and ranks within the top-20 for defensive boards per game (7.6). Taylor Barbot is one of only 22 players nationwide to record a triple-double this season and appears among national leaders in assists per game (6.2), total assists (137), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.40). As a unit, Charleston ranks eighth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.1) and places within the top-20 for turnover margin (6.82) and winning percentage (.864).
In their previous outing, Charleston defeated Northeastern by a score of 69-47 after dominating the third quarter.
Monmouth University comes into Sunday’s contest with an overall record of 15-8 and an 8-4 mark within conference play. The Hawks are led by junior guard Gigi Gamble, averaging 14.3 points per game and earning CAA Player of the Week honors twice this year; junior forward Divine Dibula contributes an average of 13.1 points per contest.
Historically, Charleston has struggled against Monmouth with just one win across five meetings and no victories on Monmouth’s home court.
Preseason polls favored Charleston to lead the CAA; they received eight out of thirteen first-place votes.
Individual accolades include Taryn Barbot earning four CAA Player of the Week awards this season for her performances throughout various games—including scoring achievements at Elon and Iona—as well as being named Preseason CAA Player of Year and included on both Preseason All-CAA First Team and Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year watch list.
Grace Ezebilo was recognized as CAA Player of the Week on February 9 after averaging double-digit points alongside over twenty rebounds per contest across two games that maintained Charleston’s perfect conference record.
Taylor Barbot received Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Week honors following her leadership role during Charleston’s win over Florida State earlier this season; she was also named to Preseason All-CAA Second Team.
Head coach Robin Harmony leads Charleston into her seventh season with three straight campaigns exceeding twenty wins—accumulating more than one hundred victories since taking charge in April 2019—and previously guiding teams to postseason success at Lamar University where she claimed multiple Southland Conference titles.
Taryn Barbot continues her standout career by averaging over nineteen points per game while nearing personal milestones such as reaching fifteen hundred career points—a feat achieved faster than any player before her at Charleston—and surpassing one thousand career rebounds alongside other statistical achievements noted within program history records.
Charleston’s current roster features two sets of twins: Taryn and Taylor Barbot as well as another pair—the Philpotts sisters—highlighting unique aspects within team composition ahead of their next contest scheduled against Towson later this month.
