When it came time to get the job done, the Lady Cardinals got the job done. They advanced.
Trailing by 11 after one quarter and at the half, the ninth-seeded Lady Cardinals went to work in the second half to pull out a 69-64 win over the upset-minded and 24th-seeded Monroe Mustangs in and opening round game of the 2024 NJCAA WBB D1 Championship Tournament at Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, WY.
As a result of outscoring Monroe 42-27 in the second half Tuesday afternoon, fifth-year head coach Precious Ivy's Lady Cardinals improved to 26-6 and move on to the Sweet 16 today to play No. 8 New Mexico (26-6) at 5:45 p.m. New Mexico had a bye in the opening round.
Monroe took the fight to the Lady Cardinals early on. The Mustangs built a 20-9 lead after one quarter and still had an 11-point lead at halftime, 38-27.
But the Lady Cardinals, making their 17th straight national tournament appearance and 29th overall, answered the challenge in the third quarter. They were down 50-48 going into the final period.
Monroe held the Lady Cardinals off until the closing minutes. The Lady Cardinals found a mini surge late in the game and sealed the deal when Kynnedi Davis hit two free throws with 3.3 seconds left.
Emani Jenkins led the Lady Cardinals with 18 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Also scoring in double figures were Lydie Mwamba and April Edwards with 11 each and Kierra Sanderlin with 10. Mwamba also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Monroe was led by Carlota Gomez-Alonso with 16 and Shanelle Smith 15.
The Lady Cardinals were 17-of-24 from the free throw line. Monroe was 2-of-7.
