CASPER, Wyo., March 26, 2024 – The No. 24-seeded Monroe College Mustangs women's basketball team did not trail for nearly 37 straight minutes in its opening-round matchup at the 2024 NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship against No. 9 Trinity Valley Community College on Tuesday. Unfortunately, foul trouble got the best of the Mustangs late in the game, as the 2023 runner-up Cardinals pulled ahead for good with just over two minutes to play, resulting in a 69-65 win for Trinity Valley over Monroe at the Ford Wyoming Center. The Cardinals advance to Wednesday's Second Round to match up with No. 8 New Mexico Junior College, while the Mustangs are now eliminated from the tournament.
A quick foul sent Trinity Valley's Kierra Sanderlin to the line to give the Cardinals a two-point lead. The momentum then shifted right back to the Mustangs, who scored four straight baskets to take an 8-2 lead over the Cardinals.
Emma Wilson-Saltos made it 10-4 midway through the first, and then a three by
Carlota Gomez-Alonso had Monroe on top, 13-4. The teams traded baskets late in the quarter, but a last-second bucket by
Nicole Bencosme left the Mustangs on top, 20-9, heading to the second.
The Mustangs stayed hot to open the second, pushing their lead to 28-12 by the 6:19 mark of the new period. A two by
Shanelle Smith made it a 30-15 game with 6:02 left in the half, but Monroe ran into some trouble when Wilson-Saltos picked up her third foul of the game and was forced to sit for the remainder of the half.
The Cardinals scored five straight points to get within 10, but
Alycia Secchiaroli hit a wide-open jumper to get Monroe back on the board. Another five by Trinity Valley made it a seven-point game with 1:30 on the clock, but a nifty move and lay-in by Smith had Monroe back up by nine. Trinity Valley's April Edwards hit a shot with 56 seconds left, but Smith was able to hit another two shots in the final 30 seconds, including a buzzer-beating layup, to take a 38-27 advantage into the break.
Wilson-Saltos led the Mustangs with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots at the half despite playing just 12 minutes. Smith totaled nine points with a pair of assists. Gomez-Alonso scored seven points with three boards, while Bencosme totaled six points with five rebounds and a team-high four assists.
The Mustangs got off to a sluggish start in the third quarter, and Wilson-Saltos picking up her fourth foul just 59 seconds in did them no favors. The Cardinals opened the third on 6-0 run and later got all the way back within a point at 39-38 before Gomez-Alonso made a shot to keep Monroe up. Emani Jenkins then hit her second straight three for the Cardinals, tying the game at 41 with 5:07 left in the third.
The Mustangs stole the momentum back when Secchiaroli drained a three to put Monroe back in the lead. Smith then made baskets on back-to-back possessions to put Monroe up by seven. Smith made another bucket with 3:30 to play in the third to cap off a 9-0 run and give Monroe a 50-41 edge. The momentum shifted again after Monroe went up by nine, as the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the third, leaving the Mustangs up, 50-48, heading to the fourth quarter.
Gomez-Alonso made the first basket of the fourth quarter, but Trinity Valley's Kennedi Johnson fired right back to stay within two. Gomez-Alonso scored once again the next time down the court before the Mustangs got a stop, leading to a Bencosme two for a 56-50 edge. Jenkins scored for the Cardinals to keep it close, but Secchiaroli made another crucial two to keep the lead at six. It was short-lived, though, as Jenkins scored again, and then Sanderlin scored the next time down the court for the Cardinals to make it a 58-56 lead for Monroe with 6:02 to play.
Sharon Brown scored for the Mustangs to keep them up by four, but after two scoreless minutes, the Cardinals scored four straight to tie the game at 60-60 with 3:11 remaining. Gomez-Alonso came right back down the court and sank a three from the corner to go back on top, but Davis drew a foul for the Cardinals and made both shots to get within one. The Mustangs then had a turnover in the back court, leading to an Edwards layup that gave Trinity Valley its first lead since the opening minute of the game, 64-63.
The Mustangs were unable to score on their next possession, and then Smith took her fifth foul and was disqualified from the game. Monroe was unable to get any points the next time down the court as well, and then Wilson-Saltos was disqualified after taking her fifth foul of the game. Each trip to the line resulted in a point for the Cardinals, leaving them up, 66-63, with 50 seconds left. The Mustangs were stopped again, leading to another chance at the line for Trinity Valley, which saw Madison Bush make 1-of-2. Having to hurry with less than 10 seconds to play, Secchiaroli sprinted down the court and hit a layup with under five ticks to go to get back within two. Monroe quickly fouled, but Davis made both chances to stretch the lead to four. With no timeouts left to advance the ball, the Brown tried to heave one from half court, but it caromed off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
The Mustangs had four scorers in double figures on Tuesday, led by Gomez-Alonso's 16 in the game. She added six rebounds and a pair of assists. Smith tallied 15 points with two assists of her own. Secchiaroli played well with 12 points and three rebounds. Wilson-Saltos finished with 10 points, seven boards and three blocks despite playing just 17 minutes. Bencosme, who took a beating and kept battling throughout the game, finished with eight points and led the team with nine rebounds and five assists. Brown matched her nine rebounds and added four points and two steals.
The Mustangs exit the tournament in the first round for the third straight season, and for the fourth time at the Division I level as the No. 24 seed. The Mustangs' showed an incredibly improved effort in the near-win on Tuesday after suffering a 24-point defeat in the opening round of the 2023 tournament. This was the Mustangs' narrowest loss in the NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship, with the next closest taking place in 2017 in an 85-73 loss to No. 9 South Plains College.
The Mustangs finish the 2023-24 campaign with a 19-11 overall record under the tutelage of first-year head coach
Camille McLellan. The Mustangs earned a third straight trip to the NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Championship after winning the Region 20 Championship tournament and the Mid-Atlantic District Title. 2023-24 marked Monroe's fourth appearance in the NJCAA Championship tournament since moving up to Division I, and their fifth time earning a trip to the tournament (2019-20 tournament was canceled).
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 (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
