NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 7, 2023 – After a slow start on Saturday in the first game of the 2023 calendar year,
Khalia Bryant's strong effort helped fuel the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team to a 71-48 victory over Monroe Community College as part of the Monroe College Men's and Women's Mixer at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 8-7 on the year with the win, while the Tribunes fall to 6-8.
Bryant had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds, which helped the Mustangs to a nine-point lead after 20 minutes. She helped take care of business in the second half, finishing with 16 points and a season-high 17 boards. Bryant's double-double was her second in the last three games for the Mustangs.
A slow start for both teams saw the Tribunes hold a 2-1 lead through the first four minutes of Saturday's contest. The Mustangs then scored five straight to take a 6-2 edge. A three by Monroe Community College's Kennedy Young tied the game up at 8-8, but
Emma Wilson-Saltos sank a layup to put the Mustangs back up, 10-8, with 2:16 left in the first. The Tribunes scored the next three on free throws, but Bryant drained a three to put the Mustangs on top by two once again. Bryant picked up another two, but the Tribunes came right back with a layup by Michaela Neelin. Shanique Simms made 1-of-2 from the free throw line with just a few seconds left to send the game to the second with the Mustangs holding a narrow 15-14 lead.
The Tribunes outscored the Mustangs, 8-4, over the first six minutes of the second quarter.
Olivia Medford then kicked off a run for the Mustangs with a jumper that put the home team back within a point.
Tanae Arnold and Medford made back-to-back shots, and then Medford got to the charity stripe and made one to take a 26-22 lead with 2:13 to play. After nearly two scoreless minutes,
Sara Carvajal-Caro made a two to make it a six-point game. The Mustangs got three more down the stretch from the foul line taking a 31-22 lead into the half with a quarter-ending 12-0 run.
Both teams traded twos back-and-forth through the first five minutes of the second half until a three by
Paetynn Gray broke the streak and put the Mustangs up, 40-30. Arnold followed with a two, and then Bryant hit another longball to put the Mustangs up by 15 with 3:11 left in the third. The Mustangs later closed out the third with a layup from Carvajal-Caro, and then a three by
Aysia Pink, giving the home team a 53-34 advantage heading to the fourth.
The Mustangs scored the first four points of the fourth to take a 57-34 lead. The Tribunes then responded with a 9-2 run, cutting the deficit to 16 with 6:26 to go. Another five straight for the Tribunes shortly after made it a 61-48 game with 3:25 on the clock. The Mustangs turned it right back around, scoring the game's final 10 points to claim a 71-48 victory.
Medford finished right behind Bryant with 15 points on the afternoon, adding seven rebounds and six assists to a strong effort. Pink tallied 12 points off the bench for Monroe. Wilson-Saltos totaled 10 points with seven boards and a team-high five steals. Carvajal-Caro picked up eight points and five rebounds in the win.
The Mustangs shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the field in the win, holding the Tribunes to 29.8 percent (17-of-57) shooting. The Mustangs also held a significant 49-32 edge in rebounds. 23 offensive boards helped the Mustangs to a 21-6 advantage in second-chance points.
The Mustangs play once more as part of the Monroe Mixer on Sunday, Jan. 8. They play the final game of the weekend when they take on Howard Community College tomorrow evening at 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).
