WARREN, Mich. – Macomb Women's Basketball pulled ahead behind a 26-14 edge in the second quarter and ran away with a 76-53 home win over the visiting Triceratops of Cuyahoga Community College Friday (Dec. 2) in Warren. Tamia Tounsel (Shelby Twp., Mich./Dakota) poured in a career-high 19 points to help push the Monarchs record to 7-1 on the season.

The Triceratops fell to 5-3 after the road setback to the Monarchs.

Tied 12-12 after one quarter of play, the Monarchs opened the game up with a dominant second quarter performance, outscoring the visitors by a 26-14 margin to earn a 38-26 halftime lead. The 26-point second quarter equaled the total first half output by the Triceratops.

Rylee Thomas (Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse) came up big for the Monarchs early as the sophomore sharpshooter scored all nine of her points in the first half on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point land to help give the Monarchs the 12-point halftime edge.

Second half action saw the Monarchs continue to pull away as the Blue & White outscored the visitors 16-10 in the third quarter before closing out the NJCAA Region XII contest with a 22-point fourth quarter.

The Monarchs led by as many as 26 in the 23-point victory and used their depth to create a 28-12 bench points advantage against the Triceratops.

Tounsel's career-best 19 points led the way, while Kamryn Richards (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) and Jasmine Ellis (Hazel Park, Mich./Michigan Math & Science) followed in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Tounsel added seven rebounds to accompany her career-high 19 points, while Richards'15 points came on an ultra-efficient 6-of-7 shooting clip (3-of-3 3PM). Ellis dropped in four of her six shots from the field, pulled down six rebounds and added a team-high three steals in the win.

Valina Hudgins (Warren, Mich./Lincoln) corralled a team-high nine rebounds to go along with six points, while Jaelynn Jones (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) recorded a line of six points, six rebounds and a team-best six assists in 14 minutes of action. Amy Jackson (Flat Rock, Mich./Flat Rock) chipped in with seven points and four assists.

Quick turnaround! The Monarchs are back in action tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 3) when they host North Central Michigan College for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at the Sports & Expo Center.