No. 12 Knights Roll Mustangs 121-59 in Return Home

By Devon Douglas

Rosedale, Md. -- CCBC Essex more than doubled Monroe's score on Saturday in a 121-59 victory in the Knights first home game of the season.

Sophomore guard Lyric Swann (Elkridge, Md.) – reigning NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Week – scored a career and game-high 32 points to go along with five rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Swann distributed the ball well to find teammates and controlled the pace of the Knights offense. However, she took advantage of the shots that came her way and drove to the basket with force.

"The kid is special," Seney said. "She does a really good job of leading our ball club and she doesn't only lead by example, she performs at a really high level, so I was proud of her and all the girls tonight, but everything starts with Lyric."

The Knights (5-0) began to a slow start in the first five minutes of the first quarter allowing Monroe (1-5) to start off strong.

CCBC Essex started the game with a full court press and stuck to that game plan throughout. The press started to show in their favor midway through the first half. Monroe began to panic and couldn't hit a shot.

"We executed the game plan to perfection offensively," Seney said. "Defensively we did a great job of speeding them up and that's what we wanted to do. We wanted them to play chaotic and we did that perfectly."

CCBC Essex also looked to quickly close in on Monroe's centers whenever they got the ball near the basket, which forced them to kick the ball out and take the harder shots.

Once the Knights settled into the game, they ran away with a huge lead and stopped Monroe from scoring in the last two minutes of the first quarter ending it 30-13.

From then on CCBC Essex didn't let up and added to their huge lead.

Monroe realistically lost any hope of getting back into the game at the start of the third quarter when the Knights outscored the Mustangs 34-16.

Many Knights contributed to the huge win.

Freshman guard Patricia Anumgba (Silver Spring, Md.) gave the Knights the energy they needed to get their game plan running.

She was lively on defense with four steals and drove down the full length of the court with aggression to score a career-high18 points.

Despite the lack of eye-catching statistics, freshman forward Anasia Staton (Jersey City, N.J.) was a vital player for the Knights in their performance, as she started the frustration for Monroe in the second quarter by drawing fouls, and rebounding.

The Knights reserves had a big night as well, outscoring the Mustangs bench 48-14.

Sophomore guard Jaelyn Swann (Elkridge, Md.) scored a career-high 23 points, second only to her twin sister Lyric. She heated up in the second half, finishing the game 8-11 (73%) from the field and 5-8 (63%) from three-point range.

Freshmen Cassandra Hawthorne (Hartford, Conn.) and Vanessa Woodfolk (Charlottesville, Va.) played with maximum effort.

Hawthorne rebounded and gave the Knights some big shots when momentum slowed down scoring 11 points. Woodfolk tallied three blocks and showcased her diverse range

Next Up

The Knights prepare to face Jamestown Community College on Saturday, November 20. It's their second home game of the season, although it will be played at sibling campus CCBC Dundalk. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Spectators are not permitted, so make sure you subscribe to the YouTube home of the Knights at www.youtube.com/ccbcessexknights.