FLINT, Mich. – Macomb Women's Basketball fought through a tough shooting first half to earn a 44-39 comeback victory over the host Mott Community College Bears Saturday (Jan. 21) in Flint. The win—the Monarchs seventh in a row over the Bears—lifts the Blue & White to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the MCCAA Eastern Conference.
Saturday's win was also the Monarchs' 17
th victory in the last 22 meetings with Mott.
After shots wouldn't fall early, the basket was finally kind to the Monarchs with 16 seconds remaining in the first half when
Rayonna Armstrong (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) made the team's first field goal of the game.
Amy Jackson (Flat Rock, Mich./Flat Rock) followed with a lay-in at the buzzer to close the deficit to 14-10 at the end of one quarter of play.
Unfortunately, the rim remained stubborn in the second quarter as the teams combined for 13 points with Mott taking a 22-15 edge into the halftime locker room. With shots not falling, the Monarchs defense kept the Blue & White within striking distance in the opening half by holding the Bears to 30% shooting while forcing nine turnovers.
The defense continued to shine in the second half as the Monarchs held the Bears to 17 points over the game's final 20 minutes to earn the five-point victory. After an unlucky first half, the Monarchs offense turned the tide and outscored the Bears by a 29-17 margin over the final 20 minutes of play to secure the hard-fought and well-earned 44-39 victory.
Armstrong paced the all scorers with a game-high 13 points and added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in her second game back to the active lineup.
Valina Hudgins (Warren, Mich./Lincoln) pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds and
Tamia Tounsel (Shelby Twp., Mich./Dakota) added nine points and eight rebounds to help lead the Monarchs to the hard-fought road victory.
The Monarchs return to the court Wednesday (Jan. 25) with a road tilt at St. Clair County Community College. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Port Huron. Weekly game notes will be released late Monday afternoon.
