NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 14, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team shot nearly 48 percent from three-point range en route to a 68-47 victory over Essex County College on Saturday in the first day of the Monroe College MLK Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 10-8 overall with the win, while the Wolverines fall to 10-5.
The Mustangs shot 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from three-point range in the win, despite shooting 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field. The 11 three-pointers are the second-best total of the season for Monroe, just one make behind the 12 they connected on in a win at Westchester Community College on Dec. 6.
Olivia Medford opened the game with a three for the Mustangs, but the Wolverines picked up the next five to take the lead. Medford put them back on top with her second three of the game, but Essex kept its momentum with seven straight to hold a 12-6 lead with 4:06 left in the first. The Mustangs then held the Wolverines off the board for four minutes, allowing the Mustangs to tie the game, but Camille Arias drained a three with just five seconds left in the period to put Essex ahead, 15-12, heading to the second.
With 6:21 left in the second,
Aysia Pink sank a three to tie the game at 17-17. After the Wolverines went back up by two, the Mustangs jumped ahead after free throws by
Tanae Arnold made it a 20-19 lead for Monroe. The run continued for the Mustangs when
Naomi Barnwell dropped in a layup, followed by back-to-back threes by
Paetynn Gray and
Amiyah Edney-Holmes, leaving the Mustangs up by nine. After a couple scoreless minutes,
Tanae Arnold capped off Monroe's 13-0 run with a jumper, pushing the lead to 30-19. Jalaiyah Smith ended the run with a layup, but Edney-Holmes sank another three to go up by 12. Raihanna Abdus-Salaam made the final two points of the half for Essex, leaving the Mustangs up, 33-23, heading to halftime.
Medford led all scorers with 10 points through 20 minutes, while also leading the team with five rebounds. Edney-Holmes tallied six points off the bench with her pair of threes. Arnold registered four points with a team-high three assists.
The third quarter saw the Mustangs start big and finish big. Medford opened the scoring for the third nearly two minutes in with a three-pointer, followed by a pair of free throws by
Emma Wilson-Saltos that put Monroe ahead, 38-24. The Wolverines narrowed the gap in the middle of the period, getting within 10 at 44-34. A three by
Paetynn Gray, followed later by a pair of twos from Edney-Holmes and Pink, had the Mustangs up, 51-34, going to the final frame.
An early 8-0 run by the Wolverines made it a 10-point game again with 7:19 left in the fourth. Edney-Holmes then broke the visitors' run with a Larry Johnson-esque four-point play, putting the Mustangs back up by 14. After five straight for Essex got the visitors back within nine, the Mustangs closed out the game with the final 12 points of the contest to claim the 68-47 victory.
Medford and Pink matched for a team-high 13 points in the win, pulling down seven and six rebounds, respectively. Edney-Holmes finished with 12 points, while Gray tallied 10 points. Edney-Holmes finished with seven boards, while Gray grabbed six. Wilson-Saltos just missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Medford and Arnold each dished out four assists in the win. Each of Medford, Edney-Holmes and Gray drained three three-pointers in the win, while Pink scored the other two.
The Mustangs will look for their third straight win on Sunday, Jan. 15, when they close out the MLK Classic against SUNY Sullivan. Tip-off is slated for 5 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 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 (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
