NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 10, 2023 – After a tough loss on the road on Thursday, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team bounced back to defeat NJCAA Div. III No. 4 Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) by a score of 66-51 Friday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 15-13 overall with the win, while the Knights fall to 19-4.
The Mustangs got off to a hot start in Friday's matchup. After each team scored in the first minute,
Olivia Medford made her first three of the game, followed by another from
Amiyah Edney-Holmes. Medford was then good once again from long range, and was followed up by a layup from
Sara Carvajal-Caro, making it a 13-2 lead for the Mustangs less than four minutes into the first quarter. The Knights chipped away at the deficit with a 12-3 run, making it a two-point game. With just 20 seconds left, Medford hit her fourth three of the quarter, leaving the Mustangs up, 21-16, heading to the second.
Paetynn Gray kept the three-party going with one of her own to open the second and push the lead to eight. The Mustangs pushed the lead to nine midway through the second, but Maggie Schwab scored the next four for CCRI to cut the lead back down to five.
Khalia Bryant followed with a three-point play, and then Medford closed the scoring for the half with her fifth three-pointer to give Monroe a 36-25 advantage at the half.
Medford went 5-for-6 from three-point range in the first half, totaling 17 points through 20 minutes. She added four rebounds and two steals as well.
Emma Wilson-Saltos and Bryant matched for a team-high five rebounds at the break.
The Mustangs and Knights played a very even third quarter. CCRI got back within seven with just under five minutes left in the quarter, but the Mustangs scored five straight to go back up by 12. CCRI scored the next four before
Anais Rosa drained a jumper at the buzzer to send the game to the fourth with Monroe on top, 48-38.
Monroe continued to hold CCRI off in the fourth quarter. After the Knights cut the deficit to eight, the Mustangs responded with six straight to take a comfortable 61-47 edge with 4:32 to play. Nysia Ortiz hit a three for CCRI, but Bryant made a layup, and then both teams went quiet for three minutes.
Aysia Pink broke the silence with a three with 34 seconds left, helping lead to the final score of 66-51.
Medford finished with a team-high 19 points in the win, adding five boards, five steals and four assists. Wilson-Saltos followed with a big double-double, totaling 13 points and 14 rebounds. Bryant contributed five points and 11 rebounds, adding three steals and two blocks. Edney-Holmes tallied seven points with seven boards and a team-high six assists. Gray added eight points.
The Mustangs are back in action next Thursday, Feb. 16, when they host Raritan Valley Community College at the MAC. Tip-off is set for 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).
