MONROE'S RECENT TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Mustangs were in this same spot last season, qualifying as the No. 24 seed in the 2022 NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Mustangs had a tough go in their First-Round matchup with No. 9 South Georgia Technical College, which happens to be this year's No. 1 seed.
 
Monroe was set to make a trip to the 2020 NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship after winning the Northeast District Championship. However, after the Mustangs were selected as the No. 24 seed for that tournament, the tournament itself was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Mustangs made their first-ever appearance in the Division I championship tournament in 2017, again as the No. 24 seed. They lost a close battle with No. 9 South Plains College in the First Round that season.
 
Prior to joining the NJCAA Division I ranks, the Mustangs had a tremendous amount of success at both the Division II and Division III levels. The Mustangs won the 2011 and 2012 NJCAA Div. II Women's Basketball Championships, and prior to that, claimed the 2006 and 2008 NJCAA Div. III Titles.
 
SEASON AT A GLANCE
The Mustangs enjoyed a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign, starting off with a terrific 5-1 record. They then took on a stiff challenge with their first of two trips down to Florida, where they faced off with Pensacola State College, then-No. 2 Northwest Florida State College and then-No. 7 Gulf Coast State College. The Mustangs took three losses that weekend down south, but played tough against top opponents.
 
The Mustangs returned to New York to win 2-of-3 before making another trip to Florida. They took losses to then-No. 8 Northwest Florida State and then-No. 4 Eastern Florida State College on that trip. Monroe's five games in Florida saw them take on three opponents that qualified for this year's NJCAA Championship tournament, with Eastern Florida State and Northwest Florida State earning First-Round byes.
 
Monroe's second Florida trip closed out the 2022 calendar year for Monroe. The Mustangs returned to play six of their next seven games at home, going 5-2 in that stretch. Monroe then faced some tough challenges with Div. II No. 20 Union College, Div. II No. 10 Harcum College and Div. II No. 2 CCBC Essex over the next couple weeks. Down the final stretch of the season, Monroe beat Div. III No. 4 Community College of Rhode Island and Raritan Valley Community College before another close defeat at No. 7 Harcum.
 
MUSTANGS BY THE NUMBERS
As a team, the Mustangs average 69.4 points per game on the season. The Mustangs rank first in the entire NJCAA with 49.2 rebounds per game, while ranking sixth in both offensive boards per game (17.5) and defensive boards per game (31.6). They defend the field well, with opponents shooting just 25 percent from three-point range against the Mustangs, which ranks Monroe 15th-best in the NJCAA, and 33.9 percent from the field, ranking Monroe 16th.
 
2022 All-American Olivia Medford leads the Mustangs with 12.6 points per game on the season. Khalia Bryant holds the team lead with 8.1 rebounds per game, with Emma Wilson-Saltos not far behind at 7.1 boards per game. Sara Carvajal-Caro is shooting 52.9 percent from the field to lead the Mustangs, while Amiyah Edney-Holmes' .443 three-point percentage ranks ninth in the NJCAA. Tanae Arnold leads the Mustangs with 2.5 assists per game, while Carlota Gomez-Alonso is averaging a team-best 2.1 steals per game. Paetynn Gray contributes everywhere with 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals and a team-high 1.3 blocked shots per game.
 
SCOUTING THE SHELTON STATE BUCS
Shelton State enters the tournament with a 30-3 overall record, having won 29 straight games to with the South District handily. Their season includes splitting a two-game series against Walters State, which is the No. 18 seed in the tournament, and a win over Eastern Florida State, the No. 2 seed. They also split a two-game series with Jones College, which earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
 
The Bucs rank third in the NJCAA with an average of 84.8 points per game, and are second in the country in both field goals made per game (32.4) and three-pointers made per game (9.2). They are fifth in offensive rebounds per game (17.7), but just 13th in total rebounds per game (46.2). They have the NJCAA's top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 40.9 points per game on the season.
 
Nya Valentine leads the Bucs with 15.6 points and 6.0 assists per game. Maya Cunningham is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, with Asia Barclay close behind with 9.1 per game. Mya Barnes' 3.5 blocks per game are third in the NJCAA this season. Barclay leads with 3.0 steals per game. Barclay also leads the NJCAA with a .660 field-goal percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE RAIDERS
Northwest Florida State earned an at-large bid into the NJCAA Championship tournament after a close loss to Eastern Florida State in the South Atlantic District final. The Raiders carry a 25-4 overall record into the tournament. Northwest Florida State had a challenging schedule this season, with seven contests against teams that eventually qualified for the NJCAA Championship, including No. 24 Monroe, No. 11 Gulf Coast State, No. 2 Eastern Florida State and No. 3 Trinity Valley Community College.
 
The Raiders average 73.7 points per game this season to rank 29th in the NJCAA. They shoot 48.6 percent from the field, good for third-best in the nation. The Raiders average 39.6 total rebounds per game. They are strong on defense, allowing just 54.5 points per game, good for 17th-fewest in the NJCAA. Opponents are shooting just 34.2 percent from the field on the Raiders.
 
Sakima Walker is the team's leading scorer with 16.2 points per game this season. She is also shooting .590 from the field, the 14th-best mark in the NJCAA. Walker also leads the team with 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Destiny McPhaul averages a team-best 4.4 assist per game, while ranking second in scoring with 1.7 points per game. Zyniah Thomas is picking up 2.3 steals per game, while McPhaul is right behind with 2.2.
 
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).