NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 15, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team made it three straight victories on Sunday when they defeated SUNY Sullivan, 70-59, in the final contest of the Monroe College MLK Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 11-8 overall with the win, while the Generals fall to 10-8.
The Mustangs got the early jump on the Generals, using seven straight points midway through the first to go up, 9-4. After a three by Sullivans' Brieanna Maple made it a two-point game,
Sara Carvajal-Caro scored the final four points of the quarter for the Mustangs to go to the second with a 15-9 lead.
Back-and-forth play saw Sullivan stay within four of Monroe at the midway point of the second half.
Amiyah Edney-Holmes then drained a three to kickstart a big run for the Mustangs.
Emma Wilson-Saltos followed with a layup, and then
Paetynn Gray sank a jumper just inside the three-point line to go up by 11.
Olivia Medford then completed a four-point play to push the lead to 15. Medford made another layup, and then
Naomi Barnwell capped off the 15-0 run with a layup of her own to put the Mustangs up, 40-21. Kayla Williams hit a three for the Generals before the buzzer, sending the game to the half with Monroe on top, 40-24.
Medford led the Mustangs with nine points in the opening half, adding three steals and two assists. Each of Wilson-Saltos, Edney-Holmes and Carvajal-Caro picked up six points in the opening half, with Carvajal-Caro leading the team with five rebounds, while Wilson-Saltos had a team-high four steals.
The Mustangs pushed their lead to 19 points early in the third quarter. After an
Aysia Pink three had Monroe ahead by 17, the Generals went on a 10-2 run to close out the period, leaving Monroe up, 50-41, heading to the fourth.
The Generals continued to chip away, getting within eight points with 7:29 to play.
Khalia Bryant then scored three straight points for Monroe to go back up by 11. Later in the fourth, another pair of free throws by Bryant pushed the lead back up to 13 points at 60-47 with 4:32 on the clock. With a 14-point lead, Pink sank another three for the Mustangs, making it a 17-point game with just 2:32 left on the clock. Sullivan went on an 8-0 to cut the deficit to just nine points, but the Mustangs got four after that to make it a 13-point game and put the game out of reach. Sullivan got two more down the stretch, but the Mustangs held on for the 70-59 win.
Medford led the Mustangs with 15 points and six steals on the evening. Bryant was next with 11 points, adding 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. Carvajal-Caro totaled 10 points with eight boards in the game. Wilson-Saltos tallied nine points with seven rebounds, as well as four assists and four steals.
The Mustangs will play next at the MAC on Thursday, Jan. 19, when they host NJCAA Div. II No. 1 CCBC Essex. Tip-off is set for 6 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).
