NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 18, 2023 – Trailing by more than 20 points late in the game, the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team nearly pulled off a huge comeback, getting as close as four points before ultimately falling to NJCAA Div. II No. 7 Harcum College on Saturday at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs fall to 16-14 with the loss, while the Bears improve to 24-2.
The Mustangs celebrated Sophomore Day ahead of Saturday's contest. Monroe honored its eight sophomores with gifts and recognition prior to tip-off.
The Bears scored the first six points of the game before
Paetynn Gray hit a pair of free throws to get Monroe on the board. After a jumper by
Olivia Medford made it a 9-4 game, the Bears scored the next seven to take a 16-4 advantage over Monroe. The Mustangs scored the next four, but the Bears closed out the period on a 6-2 run to take a 22-10 edge into the second.
Harcum opened the second with six points to take a 28-10 lead. The Bears pushed their lead to 20 before four straight for Monroe. The Bears then scored the next five to go back up by 21. Medford later made a three to get back within 18, but Ellie Janssen-Holton responded with one of her own for Harcum.
Sara Carvajal-Caro made 1-of-2 from the line with 10 seconds left to send the game to the half with a score of 42-22 in favor of the visitors.
The Mustangs outscored the Bears, 8-2, to open the second half, getting Monroe within 14. The Bears rebounded with nine straight points to take another big lead. The Mustangs were able to chip away again late in the third, but the Bears were able to hold them off enough to carry a 63-46 advantage into the fourth.
The Mustangs rallied midway through the fourth to go on a 12-0 run to make it a seven-point game with 2:24 to play. After a free throw by the Bears,
Emma Wilson-Saltos made 1-of-2 from the line, then came back on the next possession to make a layup and cut the deficit to five with just 1:08 to go. The teams began trading free throws, but a layup by
Khalia Bryant with 17 seconds left had Monroe within four. Amaris Baker made a pair of free throws to go back up by six, and then a stop for Harcum led to one more free throw that helped the visitors reach the final score of 77-70.
Wilson-Saltos led the Mustangs with 14 rebounds and seven rebounds in the game. Medford and Carvajal-Caro each tallied 12 points. Gray tallied eight points, while
Anais Rosa scored seven.
Saturday's game concludes the regular season for the Mustangs. They will now await their postseason fate, which will be announced in March.
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).
