CATONSVILLE, Md., November 4, 2023 – The 2023-24 season kicked off for the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team at CCBC Catonsville on Saturday, with the Mustangs dropping a close matchup to the host Cardinals, 60-55, Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs drop to 0-1 to start the season, while the Cardinals improve to 1-1.
The Mustangs jumped into the lead early in Saturday's game when a
Sharon Brown three put Monroe ahead, 5-3. Shortly after, a pair of twos by Brown and
Emma Wilson-Saltos had the Mustangs up, 9-5. The Cardinals took the lead late in the first, but a
Nicole Bencosme layup gave it right back to Monroe. Catonsville's Tenea Robinson then closed out the quarter with a layup of her own to leave the home team up, 12-11.
The pace picked up in the second frame, as both teams were scoring in the first few minutes. Five straight for the Mustangs had them up, 18-14. Later in the second, the Cardinals tied the game up at 22-22, but
Carlota Gomez-Alonso hit a jumper to take the lead back. The Cardinals later took the lead on a three by Dasia Townes, but Gomez-Alonso hit another two to tie it up. Townes scored the next time down the court for the Cardinals, but
Kyah Nowlin scored the final points of the half with a jumper for the Mustangs, sending the game to the break knotted up at 28-28.
The Mustangs took a four-point lead early in the third quarter after a jumper by Wilson-Saltos and a pair of free throws by Gomez-Alonso made it a 32-28 game. The lead later reached six on a layup by Brown. It later increased to seven on a layup by
Aita N'diaye with 3:14 left in the period. Monroe's lead was back down to three before Brown drained a three to go back up by six. The Cardinals then scored the final four points of the third, leaving Monroe up, 46-44, heading to the fourth.
Neither team made a shot until Townes sank a jumper with seven minutes left to play. Mya Franklin then hit a three for the Cardinals to put them back in the lead. Robinson added two more for the home team to put Catonsville up by five, but the Mustangs scored the next four to draw with one. Franklin hit another three, but Gomez-Alonso fired right back with a triple of her own. After a takeaway, Nowlin made a shot to put the Mustangs back up, 55-54, with 1:44 to go.
Robinson was able to make a jumper for Catonsville with 45 seconds left to put the home team back on top. After a couple missed chances for the Mustangs, Robinson got to the line and made both shots to make it a three-point game. The Mustangs then were unable to keep possession, fouling Robinson once more. She made both chances to make it a 60-55 game, taking that score through the final buzzer.
Both of Monroe's returning sophomores took the lead in Saturday's opener, as Gomez-Alonso and Wilson-Saltos each scored 13 points in the game. Gomez-Alonso led the team with eight rebounds, while both Wilson-Saltos and Bencosme finished with six. Brown finished with 10 points, while Bencosme scored nine and Nowlin tallied eight.
The Mustangs shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field in the game, while the Cardinals narrowly edged them out by going 23-of-64 (35.9 percent). The Mustangs managed to go a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Monroe held a 37-34 advantage in rebounds in the season opener.
The Mustangs get right back to it on Sunday, Nov. 5, when they close out their weekend at CCBC Catonsville with a neutral-site matchup against Chesapeake College. Sunday's 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).
