Hobbs, NM – In one of the biggest upsets in the early stages of the JUCO women's basketball season, the Monroe University women's basketball team knocked off No. 7 South Plains College, 71-67, in the final game of the New Mexico Classic on Monday.
The Mustangs earned the marquee victory by hanging around just enough through the first three quarters and ultimately capitalizing defensively in the fourth. South Plains connected on just three field goals over the final ten minutes as Monroe made its strides.
Holding a two-point lead, sophomore
Adela Cecunjanin forced a turnover by the Texans with seven seconds remaining. Sophomore
Fabiana Poindujour then clutched up at the charity stripe, knocking in two free throws to make it a two-possession game with five seconds to go.
South Plains came up empty on its final possession as Monroe avenged its loss to South Plains from last year's national tournament. The win marked Monroe's first victory over a top-10 ranked opponent in program history.
Sophomore
Hellary De Los Santos clinched her third double-double of the season, recording team-highs in points (17) and rebounds (14). Poindujour aided in the upset effort with 16 points, while Cecunjanin provided 13 points in 29 minutes off the bench for the Mustangs.
Winning the turnover battle paid dividends for Monroe as its plus-ten margin led to a major disparity of 25-to-4 in points off turnovers. Four Mustangs had multiple steals in the win, with sophomore
Sydney Huskey leading the way with three on the day.
Much like yesterday's matchup against No. 9 NJMC, the Mustangs struggled in the first half, falling behind 39-30. But the second half — particularly the fourth quarter — was the biggest difference maker of the game.
Monroe outscored the Texans, 26-14, in the fourth quarter. It entered the final period of play trailing by eight, but leveled the score on a three-pointer by Poindujour with 5:08 remaining. Another three from the Salt Lake transfer gave Monroe its first lead of the contest.
A one-possession game the rest of the way, freshman
Sheridan Oberhand gave Monroe wiggle room with a mid-range jumper with 3:29 to go. The Mustangs and Cecunjanin then locked in defensively to help usher in a new era of Monroe women's basketball.
The vibes are high coming off a 2-1 week in New Mexico. The Mustangs will turn their attention to Thursday when they take on CCBC Essex — head coach Mike Seney's former team — in Baltimore, MD, at 6:00 pm.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University 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.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
