NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 20, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team stayed hot on Thursday, defeating Harcum College by a score of 76-59 at the Monroe Athletic Complex to run its winning streak to four straight. The Mustangs improve to 9-10 overall with the win, while the Bears fall to 8-9.
The Mustangs grabbed an early lead in Thursday's matchup with the first six points of the game, but the Bears responded with the next five to get within a point. The Mustangs went up, 9-5 after a jumper by
Daja Wentz, but Harcum's Alyssa Herder hit the team's second three-pointer of the quarter to get back within one. Back-to-back threes by Wentz and
Aysia Pink later put Monroe ahead, 17-12. Harcum then netted the final three points of the period to send the game to the second with Monroe up, 17-15.
Pink opened the second with a three to put the Mustangs up by five. Harcum then went on a 7-0 run to go back on top.
Naomi Barnwell then netted the next five for Monroe, followed after by a three from
Sara Carvajal-Caro to make it a six-point game. Pink hit another three, and then Carvajal-Caro laid one in to push Monroe's lead to 11 at 33-22 with 4:04 left in the half. The run continued with yet another three by Pink to make it a 36-22 score.
Olivia Medford completed a three-point play after a foul to cap off Monroe's run at 19-0 before Harcum's Courtney Turner had a three-point play of her own. Leading by 14 in the final seconds, Barnwell lined up a long three as time expired, getting a good bounce to make it fall through the net, leaving the Mustangs up, 44-27, heading to the break.
The Mustangs shot 8-of-12 from three-point range in the first half, helping them to a 17-point advantage through 20 minutes. Pink made four of them to lead the team with 12 points. Barnwell had 10 points at the break. Wentz totaled nine points and three assists. Medford went into the half with six points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists.
The Bears chipped away at the deficit in the first two minutes of the third, getting back within 13, but the Mustangs managed to take control back from the visitors after that. A 10-1 run pushed the lead up to 22 points for the Mustangs, who eventually took a 60-42 lead into the fourth after Harcum finished the quarter on a 5-1 run.
The Bears tallied the first seven points of the fourth to cut the deficit to 11 points. The Mustangs started getting back on the scoreboard and managed to go back up by 16 after a jumper by Carvajal-Caro with 4:51 to play. Harcum then scored 4-of-5, but the Mustangs responded with a 6-2 run across the final 2:18 to hang on for a 17-point victory.
Medford had an all-around terrific effort in the win, totaling 15 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, along with seven steals and four assists. Barnwell led the team with 16 points, picking up six boards and three steals. Pink made five threes in the game to finish with 15 points. Wentz netted 14 points with three assists, three steals and three boards.
The Mustangs took advantage of a 32-24 edge in takeaways, scoring 37 points off turnovers compared to just 17 for Harcum. Monroe's depth also made a big impact, with the Mustang bench outscoring Harcum's, 42-15.
A busy week for the Mustangs wraps up on Saturday, Jan. 22, as they host Div. II No. 7 CCBC Essex at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as 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 14 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).
