NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 23, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team dropped an 84-69 decision to CCBC Essex Sunday afternoon in the team's final matchup in the Monroe Thanksgiving Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs fall to 3-3 on the year with the loss, while the Knights improve to 7-1.
 
The first quarter saw plenty of scoring in Sunday's contest. The Knights managed to jump out to an 11-4 lead, and later pushed it to 21-11. The Mustangs then went on a big run, outscoring the Knights, 13-3, for the rest of the period, sending the game to the second with a 24-24 tie.
 
Both teams traded the lead back-and-forth early on in the second, but a 9-0 run by the Knights put them up, 39-31. The Mustangs then had another strong finish, scoring the final seven points of the half to cut the deficit to 39-38 heading into the break.
 
The Knights opened the second half on an 11-2 run to go up by 10. The Mustangs then flipped the script to get all the way back within two at 53-51 with 2:18 left in the third. CCBC Essex scored the final four points of the quarter, taking a 57-51 advantage into the fourth.
 
The Knights pushed their lead back to 10 before Cheyenne Talbot drained a three with 8:29 on the clock. Unfortunately for Monroe, the seven-point margin was as close as they could get in the final frame, as the Knights later pushed the lead up to 19 points, eventually picking up the 15-point win.
 
Talbot and Keene each picked up 19 points in the game on Sunday. Keene had another solid overall stat line, adding seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Talbot did the same with nine board, four assists, three steals and a block. Devon Adams added 12 points for Monroe with seven rebounds.
 
The Mustangs will play next on Friday, Nov. 29, when they begin play in the Harford Community College Women's Basketball Classic in Bel Air, Md. They will open the weekend against CCBC-Catonsville on Friday with tip-off at 6:30 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 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).