BALTIMORE, Md., November 30, 2018 – For the second game in a row, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team defeated Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), this time by a score of 79-43 on the opening day of the Baltimore City Community College Charm City Classic. The win is the seventh in a row for the Mustangs, improving their record to 7-1 on the season, while Northern Virginia falls to 1-6.
 
The Mustangs led from start to finish when they played the Nighthawks last weekend, but this time around, NOVA jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a Mia Buchanon three-pointer. The lead changed back-and-forth early in the first, seeing the Nighthawks take a 10-6 edge, but the Mustangs took a 15-13 lead when Devon Adams made a layup and they never looked back from there. An 11-2 run to close out the period left the Mustangs up, 21-15, heading to the second.
 
The Mustangs took a 10-point lead after Aneisha Lyons sank two free throws at the 5:37 mark of the second quarter. NOVA hovered within 6-to-8 points for much of the quarter, but a layup by Adams made it a 10-point game once again with 26 seconds left in the half. A buzzer-beating layup by Jozai Vazquez then sent the game into the half with a 36-24 score in favor of Monroe.
 
Monroe broke the game open with a dominant third quarter on Friday. After holding a 38-28 lead, the Mustangs rattled off 16 straight points to take a commanding 26-point lead with 2:30 left in the third. After a short run by the Nighthawks, Monroe closed out the half with four straight points to take a 60-34 advantage into the fourth.
 
Another four points to open the final period pushed Monroe's lead to 30. The lead dropped to 27 with 5:08 to play before a 13-2 run for the Mustangs gave them their largest lead of the game, a 38-point difference at 79-41, with 1:06 on the clock. NOVA made a jumper with just a couple seconds remaining, but the Mustangs came away with a 36-point win in Baltimore.
 
Adams finished with team highs of 17 points and eight rebounds on Friday, adding a block and three steals in the freshman's best game of the season so far. Ty-Tiana Parker netted 10 points off the bench. India Keene filled up the stat sheet with nine points, eight assists, six rebounds and a steal. Lyons added five points, seven boards, six assists and three steals. Phyness Baldwin had a game-high five steals to go with eight points.
 
Monroe continues its weekend in Baltimore on Saturday, when they Mustangs challenge Chesapeake College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).