Baltimore, MD- Monroe dropped its Thursday road matchup at CCBC Essex, 94–76, in Head Coach Mike Seney's first game back at his former program. The Mustangs showed strong stretches throughout the night but couldn't slow down Essex's perimeter shooting, as the Knights connected on 19 three-pointers to pull away.
Monroe opened well, pushing the pace early and taking a 12–7 lead behind back-to-back threes from
Angie Tirado and a tough jumper from
Hellary De Los Santos. The Mustangs forced multiple turnovers in the first five minutes but couldn't fully capitalize, and Essex used a late 12–2 run to flip the quarter and go up 19–14.
The second quarter became the key stretch of the game. Monroe continued to generate chances inside highlighted by De Los Santo's work on the offensive glass, but the Knights got rolling from deep, hitting seven threes in the period. Kaylyn Lelie and Alex Stewart gave Monroe a boost off the bench, but Essex took a 47–36 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Monroe made its strongest push of the night. Stinnette opened with a jumper, De Los Santos added free throws, and the Mustangs forced multiple stops to cut the deficit to eight. But each Monroe run was immediately met with a big shot on the other end, as Essex's guard trio responded with timely threes to regain control.
Lelie delivered the Mustangs' biggest spark in the fourth, scoring 12 of her team-high 18 points in the final period. Her mid-range game and second-chance finishes helped Monroe post its best offensive quarter of the night. De Los Santo closed with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, Tirado added 12 points, and Poindujour filled the stat sheet with five assists and four steals.
Monroe's bench produced 35 points, and the Mustangs nearly matched Essex on the glass (50 rebounds), but the Knights' outside shooting and points off turnovers made the difference down the stretch.
The Mustangs look to regroup this weekend as they turn their heads to Putnam Science Academy whom they'll host on Monday night.
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).
