ROCKVILLE, Md., December 17, 2023 – Already known for her double-doubles,
Emma Wilson-Saltos produced another big one on Sunday to help lift the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team to a 64-48 victory over host Montgomery College to wrap up the Montgomery Holiday Tournament. The Mustangs boost their record to 7-5 with the win, while the Raptors drop to 6-5.
Wilson-Saltos earned her third straight double-double and her fourth in the last five games to fuel the Mustangs to another win on Sunday. She finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, her second-best total in each category this season. The double-double was also her sixth in the last eight games and her seventh on the season.
The Raptors had a lot of momentum coming out of the gate on Sunday, scoring the first nine points of the game. The Mustangs got their first points on a layup by
Alycia Secchiaroli with 6:29 left in the first, but that got things rolling for Monroe. Wilson-Saltos scored six points on what became a 12-0 run that put Monroe up by three. The Raptors scored three to tie the game, but Wilson-Saltos scored twice in the final 36 seconds to leave Monroe up, 16-12, after the first.
The Mustangs rolled right into the second quarter, rattling off 11 straight points to open the new period and push the lead to 27-12.
Shanelle Smith nearly did it all herself, scoring nine of the 11 points with a
Nicole Bencosme layup mixed in. Montgomery got a three by Daniella McGuthrie to end the run, but the Mustangs came right back with another five to go up by 17. The Raptors scored seven straight to make it a 10-point game, but Wilson-Saltos and
Sharon Brown each scored in the final 68 seconds to give Monroe a 36-22 edge heading to halftime.
Wilson-Saltos hit a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes, adding a pair of blocked shots as well. Smith totaled 10 points and a team-high four assists. Bencosme had five points, four rebounds and four steals at the break.
Monroe stayed hot to open the second half, tallying nine straight points to take a commanding 23-point advantage on the Raptors. Montgomery cut the deficit to 20 with two minutes left in the third, but the Mustangs scored the final six points of the frame to take a 52-30 lead into the fourth.
Montgomery made a run early in the fourth, outscoring the Mustangs, 9-4, across the first six minutes. A layup by Wilson-Saltos pushed Monroe's lead back to 19 with 3:59 to play. Smith hit a couple jumpers around some free throws by the Raptors to keep that 19-point edge with the clock winding down. One more by Smith with 47 seconds left had Monroe up 18 before a layup by Montgomery's Athina Nkangnia proved to be the final points of the game in a 16-point win for the Mustangs.
In addition to Wilson-Saltos' big afternoon, Smith finished with 16 points and led the team with a season-high seven assists. Secchiaroli set a new season-high with 14 rebounds in the win, adding eight points. Brown scored eight points as well and picked up four steals. Bencosme led the team with six steals in the game to go with seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Mustangs held a 45-37 edge in rebounds in the game, and dominated the scoring from close-range with a 44-18 advantage in points in the paint. Monroe also took advantage of its takeaways with a 21-8 lead in points off turnovers.
Sunday's win wrapped up 2023 for the Mustangs. They will get the rest of the month off before returning to action as part of the Monroe College Men's and Women's Mixer, beginning Saturday, Jan 6. The Mustangs will open that weekend against Howard Community College at 3 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).
