Monroe plays ‘D’ for District title Mustangs nab eleventh straight nationals berth

Written by Gary Axelbank

For the Monroe Mustangs women’s basketball team, it starts with their defense.  And they used that defense to finish off two District opponents this weekend in Franklin MA to take the District N Championship and earn themselves a remarkable eleventh consecutive trip to an NJCAA National Tournament.   On Saturday Monroe downed Manor College (NY) 78-50 and on Sunday, they took care of Essex (NJ) 76-57 to win their fourth District championship in the last five years.

Box score vs. Manor College    Box score vs. Essex

“We are peaking at just the right time,” said head coach James Robinson Jr.  “Our defense keys everything else and right now we are committed to the energy that it takes to play good defense.  I also have to say that every player on this team knows they’re important and so on any given night, any give player can be key.  This is a great way to get set for a national tournament.”

In the win over Manor on Saturday, eleven of the twelve mustangs who got in the game got on the board.  Aaliyah Mercer had sixteen points and Tiashana Morris had ten.  Tiara Brown also had ten and she added ten rebounds for a nifty double/double.

The finals win on Sunday was ignited by a dominant first half by Breana Bey who finished with twenty-five points, twenty-one of them coming in the first half as she displayed an awesome inside game. She shot 11/13 from the field.  Eli Rojas was a virtual force for Monroe pulling down seventeen rebounds to go along with her ten points.  Mercer had eleven points and Brown had twelve.

Aaliyah Mercer was named Player of the Year in Region XV and after the game Coach Robinson took home the Distrcit Coach of the Year award.  Monroe is now 22-10 on the season.

The NJCAA Women’s Division II National Championships will be held at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS from March 18-22.   Monroe has won four of the ten previous national tournaments.

2013-14 women’s basketball schedule

Written by Gary Axelbank

Monroe College Mustangs

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