PORT HURON, Mich. – Day one of the SC4 Skippers New Year's Classic was a good day for Macomb Women's Basketball as the Monarchs picked up a 64-60 victory over the Jayhawks of Muskegon Community College to move to 8-3 on the season. The Jayhawks fell to 6-5 after the setback, but fought back from a near 20-point deficit to get within one point late in the contest.

Up 11-7 after 10 minutes of play, the Monarchs caught fire in the second quarter on their way to outscoring the Jayhawks 22-10 in the frame to take a 33-17 lead into the halftime break.

The Jayhawks chipped away in the third quarter and continued to wedge their way back into the contest in the latter stages of Friday's (Jan. 5) neutral-site battle.
Up 10 entering the fourth quarter and up by as many as 17 (58-41) with 7:27 remaining, the Monarchs were in firm control of the game before the Jayhawks went on a 19-3 run to get within one, 61-60, with 30 seconds remaining.

Facing a late game pressure situation, the Monarchs would not be denied as a pair of battled-tested sophomores stepped to the line late as Kamryn Richards (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) knocked down a pair from the free throw line and Tamia Tounsel (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) later connected on a charity-stripe try to extend the lead to four with :07 remaining to secure the 64-60 victory.

The Monarchs out-rebounded the Jayhawks, 40-28, and shot 39% overall while knocking down 11 3-pointers to help earn the neutral-site win.

Richards paced the Monarchs with 14 points, doing so behind a game-high four 3-pointers made, and dished out a game-leading six assists. Richards was followed by the combo of Tounsel and Marissa Thomas (Toledo, Ohio/Perrysburg) who each notched a double-double in the winning effort. Tounsel tallied 13 points and hauled in 14 rebounds for her sixth double-double in 11 games this season, while Thomas recorded her first double-double at Macomb with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Sydney Garon (Shelby Twp., Mich./Henry Ford II) checked in with nine points (3 3PM), while MaKayla Downs (Chesterfield, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) and Danielle Billinger (Detroit, Mich./Riverview Gabriel Richard) followed with six points each. Billinger added six rebounds, five coming on the offensive end, and three assists.

The Monarchs return to Port Huron tomorrow (Jan. 6) for an 11 a.m. battle with Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The Monarchs previously topped the Cougars by a 71-48 final tally in Kalamazoo on Dec. 16.