Since becoming a Division II team in the 2009-10 season, the Monroe Mustangs have had only one Region XV opponent, Orange County CC, and that makes every game against the Colts essential.  So Tuesday's night's matchup against Orange at the MAC was a must-win for Monroe and they didn't disappoint, using a ferocious second half run to pull away with a 69-37 win that put their season record at 9-5.
 
"We were asleep in the first half," Coach James Robinson Jr.  "We had fifteen steals and didn't convert any of them into points.  But in the second half we started making shots and that made a big difference."
 
'Big' is an understatement.  The Mustangs led 30-29 at the 14:55 mark of the second half and then blew the doors off the barn leaivng the Colts inside.  They burst out to 31 straight points and an insurmountable 61-29 lead.
 
Leading the charge for Monroe was sophomore Karen Bellamy who scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the second half with a blinding 6/6 from the field, including 4/4 from the arc. 
 
The 5'7" guard from Wings Academy in the Bronx who was no more than a bit player in her freshman season, is emerging as the team's tone-setter and leader.
 
"Karen has the ability to step up," said Coach Robinson.  "When Karen goes well, we usually go well.  Give her a ton of credit.  She's put in the work and the hard work paid off."
 
Tuesday night's win was Monroe's thirteenth consecutive against Orange since they became Region opponents.  Regardless, afterwards Coach Robinson downplayed the significance of it.
 
"At 9-5 we need every win we can get, so we'll take this one."
 
Monroe will host the Winter Tip-off this weekend with games on Friday and Saturday.  The Mustangs will face Onondaga at 7:00pm on Friday and Division rival CCRI at 2:00pm on Saturday.