NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 13, 2024 – A strong second-half performance propelled the Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team to a spirited 58-51 victory over NJCAA Div. II No. 7 Union College Saturday afternoon as part of the Monroe College MLK Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 9-6 with the win, while the Owls drop to 13-3.
The Owls got the early jump on the Mustangs in Saturday's matchup, with the visitors taking an 11-3 lead after making a trio of threes in the first five minutes. Layups by
Emma Wilson-Saltos and
Alycia Secchiaroli got Monroe within four, but a Khila Morris layup had Union up by six. Wilson-Saltos hit another layup, following by two points from
Carlota Gomez-Alonso to make it a two-point game. Wilson-Saltos then made 1-of-2 free throws with a minute left in the quarter to eventually send the game to the second with Union up, 13-12.
The Mustangs came out firing in the second quarter, scoring the first eight points of the period to take a 20-13 advantage. The Owls then scored the next four to make it a two-point game. The pace slowed down for the remainder of the second, with each team making a pair of free throws before the end of the half, seeing Monroe take a 22-20 edge into the break.
Wilson-Saltos and Gomez-Alonso matched with a team-high eight points, while Wilson-Saltos already pulled down 11 rebounds in the first half. Gomez-Alonso was next with five boards, while both had two steals.
Ahjanae Young opened the third with a three for Union to put the visitors on top by a point. The Mustangs responded with eight straight to take a 30-23 edge over the Owls. Union got back within five later in the quarter, but the Mustangs kept them off the board for the final 3:47 of the third, scoring seven straight during that timeframe to push the lead to 43-31 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Owls opened the fourth with a 7-2 run to make it a seven-point game with 4:47 to play. Union continued to chip away, hitting a pair of threes before the two-minute mark to make it a one-point game, but Gomez-Alonso got fouled on a layup, completing the three-point play to give the Mustangs a four-point cushion with 1:38 on the clock.
Nicole Bencosme then drew a foul, making both shots to push the lead to six. Bencosme kept drawing fouls for Monroe, making another two free throws with 23 seconds left to make it a seven-point game, and then later hitting 1-of-2 with seven seconds left, helping Monroe wrap up the seven-point victory.
Wilson-Saltos turned in her sixth straight double-double in the win with another impressive line of 20 points and 16 rebounds. Gomez-Alonso just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds in the game. Bencosme finished with nine points, five boards and a team-high three assists.
Shanelle Smith added eight points and six boards. Secchiaroli contributed six points and seven rebounds.
The Mustangs will close out the MLK Classic on Sunday, Jan. 14, when they take on SUNY Sullivan in the final match of the weekend. Tomorrow's tip-off is set for 6 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).
