NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 30, 2023 – A back-and-forth battle unfortunately did not go the way of the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team on Thursday, as the Mustangs dropped a 62-52 score to NJCAA Div. II No. 11 Harcum College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs fall to 4-4 with the loss, while the Bears improve to 6-1.
Sharon Brown got the Mustangs on the board just five seconds into the game, but then both teams went cold for nearly four minutes. Harcum's Aalyssa Rogers ended the drought with a layup to tie the game, but then
Emma Wilson-Saltos scored the game's next seven points to put Monroe on top, 9-2. The Bears got a three-point play by Kelsey Bass, but
Alycia Secchiaroli came right down the court for a layup. After another two points off free throw's by Rogers, the Mustangs scored the next six, including another four by Wilson-Saltos, to go up by 10. Rogers made a long jumper to close out the first, but the Mustangs took a 17-9 edge into the second quarter.
The Bears opened the second with a 7-2 run to get back within three. Wilson-Saltos and
Shanelle Smith scored the next four to push Monroe's lead back to seven, but Harcum came back with four of its own to make it three again. Wilson-Saltos and
Carlota Gomez-Alonso once again made it a seven-point lead, but the Bears responded again as well with another four. After another layup by Gomez-Alonso, T'Nyah Riggins hit a three for the Bears, and then Ayneigejah Ferguson-Dugas scored another two to tie the game at 29-29. Smith then beat the buzzer for the Mustangs with a jumper, sending the game to the half with Monroe on top, 31-29.
Wilson-Saltos dominated the first half with 17 points and nine rebounds. Each of Gomez-Alonso, Brown and Smith contributed four points, with Gomez-Alonso and Brown matching
Nicole Bencosme for a team-high two assists.
The second half got off to a quiet start for the first two minutes before a jumper by Rogers tied the game for Harcum. That woke the Mustangs up, leading to six straight points, capped off by a three from Gomez-Alonso, to put the Mustangs back up by six. The Bears then took over, scoring the next 11 points to go up, 42-37. After a stop with just seconds left, Smith heaved one up from beyond half court for the Mustangs, miraculously banking it in off the glass to make it a 42-40 game heading to the fourth.
The Bears held the Mustangs off early in the fourth, hanging onto a 49-44 lead with 6:12 left. Secchiaroli and Smith hit back-to-back layups to make it a 49-48 game, but the Bears responded with the next six to go back up by seven with 2:29 to play. Smith made a jumper to get within five, but the Bears made the next three to go back up by eight with less than a minute to play, eventually leading to the final score of 62-52.
Wilson-Saltos finished with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the game, adding two blocks and two steals. Smith came off the bench to score 14 points to go with two assists and two steals. Brown led the Mustangs with three assists, picking up three rebounds and four points as well. Gomez-Alonso totaled seven points, eight boards and two assists.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back this Saturday, Dec. 2, when they host Harford Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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).
