NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 7, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team, led by second-year head coach Dana Warner, enters the 2019-20 season with plenty of promise after taking big steps forward a year ago.
 
Coach Warner's first season at the helm of the women's basketball program can easily be considered a big success. The long-time Monroe men's basketball associate head coach took over the program shortly before the season, and produced a 20-9 overall record with a winning record at home, on the road and in neutral-site games. The Mustangs qualified for the NJCAA District C Championship at Harford last year, but came up just short in a 69-62 final score.
 
The majority of Monroe's 13-woman roster is made up of new names and faces. The Mustangs return just two sophomores in center Devon Adams and guard India Keene. Adams started 19 of the 27 games in which she played a year ago. She was third on the team with an average of 9.9 points per game, and finished third with 6.6 rebounds per game. Adams was the team's leading blocker with 45 on the season. Keene played in 21 games a year ago, averaging 3.8 points and 2.6 assists per game, as well as more than one steal per contest. She will look to build upon those numbers with an increased role in 2019-20.
 
The incoming class for the Mustangs is a diverse group with plenty of speed and size. ToniRenee Blandford, Maya Crimes and Taylor Holmes all stand six-feet tall, while Ineysiah Surrell comes in at 6-for-1, providing the Mustangs with plenty of size this season. Kamiya Dambreville stands 5-foot-10 to round out a solid group of forwards for Monroe.
 
Lakayla Ford and Alissa Pierre are both listed as guard/forward and can fill either role for the Mustangs as needed. Joining Keene in the backcourt are freshmen Cheyenne Talbot, Daja Wentz, Dairy Rojas and Diamond Spady.
 
The Mustangs get their season off to a quick start this week, beginning with Thursday evening's opener against the Monroe College Express at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe then hosts the Monroe Classic from Saturday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 10, welcoming Lackawanna College, Westchester Community College and ASA College to the MAC. The Mustangs will take on Lackawanna on Saturday, and then play Westchester on Sunday.
 
The Mustangs' first road contest is set for Thursday, Nov. 14, when they visit SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. They then get a weekend off before hosting another tournament at the MAC, the Monroe Thanksgiving Classic. The Mustangs will take on Nassau Community College on Saturday, Nov. 23, and CCBC-Essex on Sunday, Nov. 24, with ASA once again taking the fourth spot in the tournament.
 
Monroe heads down to Maryland the next weekend to play in the Harford Women's Classic, where they will take on CCBC-Catonsville on Friday, Nov. 29, and Harford on Saturday, Nov. 30. Monroe then has a rematch with Harford the following Friday, Dec. 6 at the MAC. The Mustangs then take a short trip into the Bronx on Tuesday, Dec. 10 to take on Hostos Community College.
 
Dec. 14-15 will see the Mustangs compete in the Cecil College Holiday Tournament. They will open up against Cecil on Saturday that weekend, and then take on Chesapeake College on Sunday. The Mustangs then get nearly two weeks off before participating in the National Title IX Holiday Invitational from Friday, Dec. 27, through Sunday, Dec. 29, in Washington, D.C.
 
The New Year will begin for the Mustangs on Jan. 11-12, when they head to Warwick, R.I. to play in the CCRI Classic, hosted by the Community College of Rhode Island. They then return home on Tuesday, Jan. 14, for another game against SUNY Sullivan. The following weekend will see Monroe host the Monroe College MLK Classic. The Mustangs play Niagara County Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18, and then challenge Erie Community College on Sunday, Jan. 19. Union County College will also be competing in the tournament that weekend.
 
The Mustangs play on the road twice that next week with a game on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Westchester, and another on Saturday, Jan. 25, at Lackawanna. They then play their first Region XV contest against ASA College at the MAC on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Two days later, Monroe hosts Raritan Valley Community College for another home game.
 
The Mustangs visit County College of Morris on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and then return home on Saturday, Feb. 8, for another game against Hostos. They will visit ASA College in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Feb. 11, before finishing up the regular season with a three-game home stand. Monroe hosts Harcum College on Saturday, Feb. 15, then welcomes in Morris for a rematch on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The regular season concludes on Saturday, Feb. 22, against Nassau.
 
The Mustangs take on their Bronx-campus counterparts Thursday evening to kick off a season-opening doubleheader at the MAC. The women's game tips off a 5 p.m., and will be followed immediately after by the men's game at 7 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).