NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 11, 2021 – Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time since Feb. 2020, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team picked up a 67-57 victory over Raritan Valley Community College on Thursday at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 1-3 overall, while the Lions fall to 0-3.
The Mustangs got off to a strong start in Thursday's home opener, rolling to an 11-2 lead across the first five minutes. The lead reached 12 points when a layup by
Naomi Barnwell made it an 18-6 game, but the Lions started to turn things around, scoring the final six points of the first quarter, leaving Monroe up, 18-12, heading into the second.
The Lions made it a four-point game with a basket to start the second, and kept within striking distance of the Mustangs for much of the period. The score was 21-19 in favor of Monroe before the Mustangs got a layup by Barnwell and a three by
Aysia Pink to take a seven-point lead. Another long ball by Pink with 47 seconds on the clock made it a 29-21 game, but Raritan Valley's Rocio Martin Munoz hit a three at the buzzer to send the game to the half with Monroe up, 29-24.
Pink made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first half for a team-leading nine points after the first 20 minutes. Barnwell matched her nine points and added a team-high eight rebounds, as well as three steals.
Daja Wentz added five points, four boards and two assists.
The early minutes of the second half continued to be tight, but the Mustangs never yielded the lead. Late in the third, after a three by Raritan Valley's Maia Little made it a 40-37 game, the Mustangs responded with five straight points to go up by 10. However, the Lions picked up the final five points of the quarter, including a buzzer-beater by Micaela Etlinger from just past midcourt, leaving Monroe ahead, 47-42, heading to the final frame.
The Mustangs finally took control early in the fourth quarter, opening up with the new period's first eight points to go up by 13. The lead later peaked at 18 points after a layup by
Sara Carvajal-Caro make it 67-49. The Mustangs did not score any more points from that point on, but held on for a 67-57 victory.
Wentz finished with a team-high 19 points in the win, adding five boards and five assists. Pink sank five three-pointers to finish with 18 points. Barnwell completed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, adding six steals as well.
Amy Sangare grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench. Carvajal-Caro tallied six points, seven boards and three assists.
The Mustangs shot 39.7 percent (27-of-68) from the field in Thursday's win, while the Lions were good on 27.1 percent (16-of-59) of their field goals. Raritan Valley attempted 39 free throws in the game, but made just 20 of them (51.3 percent). The Mustangs were good on 7-of-10 (70 percent) from the charity stripe. Monroe dominated the paint, scoring 36 points from in close compared to just 18 for the Lions. Monroe also held a 55-38 edge in rebounds.
The Mustangs take to the road this weekend for a couple games down in Maryland. The weekend begins at CCBC Essex, when the Mustangs challenge the Knights on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 39 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 18 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
