NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 15, 2022 – Paetynn Gray had her best game in Mustang Gold so far this season on Tuesday, sinking seven three-pointers to help lead the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team to a dominant 97-47 victory over Harford Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 5-1 overall with their fourth straight win, while the Fighting Owls fall to 0-4.
Gray went 7-of-9 from three-point range in the game to total a team-high 23 points in the win. She finished up 8-of-10 from the field. Gray also pulled down six rebounds in the game, and did not play at all in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs got off to a hot start in Tuesday's matchup, rolling to an 11-0 lead, capped off by a three from Amiyah Edney-Holmes. The Fighting Owls cut away at the deficit with eight straight points, using a 10-1 run to get within two. The Mustangs turned it back on from there, scoring 13 of the last 15 points of the first quarter to take a 25-12 advantage into the second period.
Later in the second quarter, the Mustangs scored eight straight, including a pair of threes by Paetynn Gray, to take a 40-19 lead on the Fighting Owls. Another three by Gray in the final minute pushed the lead to 45-22. Olivia Medford then drained a three of her own just before the buzzer, sending the game to the half with Monroe holding a commanding 48-22 lead.
Gray's four three-pointers in the first half gave her a team-high 12 points through 20 minutes of play. Medford totaled nine points in the first half. Emma Wilson-Saltos pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Naomi Barnwell tallied four points to go with three boards and three assists.
The second half got off to a slow start, but the scoring picked up midway through the third quarter. The Mustangs scored eight straight to push the lead to 66-27. Gray's seventh long ball of the game put Monroe ahead, 75-34, with under a minute to play in the third. The teams then traded free throws in the final seconds of the period, leaving the Mustangs up, 77-36, heading to the fourth.
The Mustangs went on a 6-2 run over the first five minutes of the fourth to push the lead to 83-38. Another five in a row pushed the lead to 50 points at 88-38, and then a three by Aysia Pink made it a 91-38 game with 3:05 on the clock. Helena Macuei sank a layup with 54 seconds left, helping the Mustangs lead by 50 through the final buzzer.
Behind Gray's 23, Medford and Edney-Holmes had matching 14-point, three-rebound games in the win. Wilson-Saltos led the team with 12 rebounds in the game, adding four steals, three assists and two points. Barnwell finished with six points and four assists, while Sara Carvajal-Caro added five points and four assists, as well as six rebounds.
The Mustangs shot 50.7 percent (36-of-71) from the field on Tuesday, including 11-of-25 (44 percent) from three-point range. Monroe held Harford to just 16-of-57 (28.1 percent) shooting in the game. The Mustangs had a commanding 55-22 advantage in rebounds, which included 20 offensive boards. The Mustangs scored 38 points in the paint compared to just eight for the Fighting Owls.
The Mustangs will take their four-game winning streak with them down to Florida for a challenging trip down south. Monroe opens a three-game trip with a matchup at Pensacola State College on Thursday, Nov. 17, with a 5 p.m. tip-off.
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 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 11 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 (
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