NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 20, 2018 – The Monroe College women's basketball team turned in a strong all-around team effort on Saturday with five players in double figures and two with double-doubles, as the Mustangs rolled to an 85-61 victory over Niagara County Community College in their opening matchup of the Monroe College MLK Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe improves to 12-8 with the win, while Niagara County falls to 10-7.
 
The Thunderwolves took a quick lead on a Kendra Lawton layup, but Phyness Baldwin quickly responded with a three to put the Mustangs ahead. Shanice Graves followed with a jumper to go up by three. A four-point run for the Thunderwolves put them ahead by one with 1:58 left in the frame, but the Mustangs strung together a quick 8-0 run, including threes by Baldwin and Lisana Burnett, to take a 15-8 lead with 45 seconds left. Lawton then hit a jumper at the buzzer for Niagara County, leaving the Mustangs up, 15-10, heading into the second.
 
The Mustangs opened the second quarter with six straight points, pushing their lead to 11. The lead shrunk to seven before Baldwin sank another three and Soriano followed with a layup to make it a 12-point game. Both teams scored back-and-forth throughout the rest of the frame, leaving Monroe up, 40-28, heading into the break.
 
Baldwin hit a jumper to open the second half, but Niagara County responded with five straight points. The Thunderwolves cut the deficit to seven points before Graves hit a three and Baldwin added a jumper to make it a 12-point game. Later, a six-point run for the Mustangs put them ahead by 15. In the final two minutes, Amani Williams and Burnett hit back-to-back threes to push Monroe's lead to 17, which they held on to with a 64-47 edge heading into the final frame.
 
Starting with the final points of the third quarter, the Mustangs went on an 11-0 run to take a 73-47 advantage with 7:22 left to play. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way, as the Mustangs held on for the 24-point victory at home.
 
Burnett came close to a quadruple-double on Saturday, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals for a double-double in an incredible effort. Baldwin led the Mustangs with 21 points thanks to five three-pointers, and added five rebounds and two steals. Graves added a season-high 20 points after making four long balls. Soriano finished with a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Williams was the fifth Mustang in double-figures with 10 points, adding seven assists, five boards and four steals.
 
The Mustangs wrap up play in the Monroe College MLK Classic on Sunday, Jan. 21, when they host Erie Community College in the weekend's final contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level as of the fall 2017 season.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).