NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 8, 2020 – Despite a big third-quarter comeback, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team fell to Hostos Community College, 67-61, Saturday afternoon at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs fall to 15-11 overall with the loss, while the Caimans improve to 19-7.
 
Saturday's contest got off to a slow start, with the Mustangs holding a 6-5 lead with just 3:24 left in the first quarter. Six straight points for the Caimans put the visitors ahead, 11-6. After a point for Monroe, the Caimans closed out the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 20-9 lead into the second.
 
Apilyn Bonny scored the first two points of the second quarter for Hostos, but the Mustangs responded with back-to-back threes by Devon Adams and ToniRenee Blanford, cutting the deficit to 22-15. After going down, 26-16, the Mustangs went on a 6-1 run to get back within five with 3:05 left in the half. The Caimans then finished the half with three free throws and a jumper by Sharay Hannah to take a 32-22 edge into the break.
 
Ineysiah Surrell led Monroe with seven points in the first half, while Blanford added six. Surrell, Blanford, Cheyenne Talbot and Adams all pulled down four rebounds in the first half, while Talbot also dished out a team-high four assists.
 
Keyanna Glover sank a three for the Caimans to open the second half, but the Mustangs responded with 13 straight points to tie the game at 35-35. Hannah made two free throws to put the Caimans back in the lead, but back-to-back scores by Blanford and Talbot put Monroe in the lead, 39-37. The run continued with three free throws for Monroe, putting the Mustangs ahead, 42-37. The Caimans closed the gap with five straight points, but the Mustangs closed out the period with a 6-2 run to take a 48-44 advantage into the fourth.
 
Hannah made a three to open the fourth and cut Monroe's lead to one, but a 7-1 run for Monroe put the Mustangs up by seven. A 9-0 run for the Caimans then put the visitors back up, 57-55, but Blanford tied the game with a layup. Moreina Moore made 1-of-2 free throws for Hostos to put the Caimans back up by a point, but a three-point play by Maya Crimes gave Monroe a 60-58 edge with 2:49 to play.
 
Glover responded with a three-pointer to put Hostos back ahead by one. Hannah then hit a pair of free throws to put the Caimans up by three, but a free throw by Blanford cut the deficit to two. Moore hit a jumper for Hostos to then make it a four-point game with 55 seconds left. Glover drained a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to reach the final score of 67-61.
 
Blanford led the Mustangs with 19 points and nine rebounds in the game. Talbot contributed nine points, nine boards and six assists. Surrell tallied 12 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Crimes picked up 13 points and seven boards off the bench.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Tuesday, Feb. 11, when they visit Region XV rival ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 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 Mustangs), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).