NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 19, 2023 – After controlling the game for the majority of the first three quarters, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team dropped a 77-64 final to NJCAA Div. II No. 1 CCBC Essex Thursday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe drops to 11-9 with the loss, while the Knights improve to 18-1.
The Mustangs got the early jump on the Knights with the first six points of the game. After CCBC Essex cut the deficit to two, seven straight for Monroe, including a three by
Amiyah Edney-Holmes, had the Mustangs ahead by nine. The Knights went on a nine-point run late in the first to tie the game, but
Khalia Bryant hit a jumper in the final minute to leave Monroe up, 19-17, heading to the second.
The Knights tied the game at 21-21 in the opening minute of the second quarter, but Edney-Holmes drained a three to put the Mustangs ahead once again. After nearly four scoreless minutes on both ends of the court, Edney-Holmes hit her third long ball of the game to push Monroe's lead to six. The Mustangs' lead was back down to two before Monroe score six in a row.
Emma Wilson-Saltos hit a layup with 38 seconds left, and then the next time down the court,
Aysia Pink nailed a three to push the lead to 10. Anasia Staton made a layup before the buzzer for CCBC Essex, but the Mustangs took a 39-31 advantage into halftime.
Edney-Holmes led the team with 11 points at the break. Wilson-Saltos added eight points, while
Olivia Medford scored six.
Naomi Barnwell totaled three points, five rebounds, four assists and a block at the half.
Khalia Bryant led the team with six rebounds.
The Knights came out of the locker room with a renewed energy, scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter to take a 44-39 lead on the Mustangs. After trailing by four,
Aysia Pink sank back-to-back threes to put the Mustangs back up, 48-46. Later in the frame, Monroe went on a 9-2 run, pushing its lead back out to seven points at 60-53. CCBC Essex got to the line twice in the final minute, making all four chances to make it a 60-57 game in favor of the Mustangs heading to the fourth.
The Knights took those four points and turned it into a 15-0 run to go up, 68-60, midway through the fourth. Wilson-Saltos finally got the Mustangs on the board with a jumper, but the Knights picked up the next eight to push the lead into double figures before eventually holding on for the 13-point win.
Wilson-Saltos finished with a team-high 12 points in the game, adding six rebounds as well. Medford tallied 10 points with five boards.
Paetynn Gray totaled seven points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block. Bryant led the team with 10 rebounds, adding four points, a block, a steal and an assist.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Saturday, Jan. 21, when they host Lackawanna College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 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).
