LIVONIA, Mich. – What a battle! Macomb Women's Basketball, receiving votes in the national poll for the first time in over four years, proved they can compete with ranked competition in a narrow 63-53 setback to No. 6 Schoolcraft College to open MCCAA Eastern Conference play on Saturday (Jan. 10).
 
The Monarchs led by three, 47-44, after three quarters of play, but the Ocelots closed the game on a 19-6 run to remain unbeaten at 15-0 overall and now 1-0 in the MCCAA East. Macomb fell to 11-5 overall and 0-1 in league play with Saturday's result.
 
A strong start pushed the Monarchs to a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter before the Ocelots responded with an 18-10 advantage in the second to take a 34-29 edge into the locker room.
 
The Monarchs flipped the game back in their favor with an 18-10 quarter of their own in the third, earning a 47-44 advantage with 10:00 remaining. In a back-and-forth battle, the Ocelots had one last response, a 19-6 fourth quarter as depth took over late.
 
Neither team held a double-digit lead until the final free throws of the contest with 13-seconds remaining.
 
Asiyah Jihad led the Monarchs with her latest double-double, a 16-point, 14-rebound performance that included an assist, a block and a steal in 40 minutes of action. Janiya McWilliams recorded 10 points, six rebounds and a steal while battling foul trouble and MyKenzi Harris also tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Harris added four rebounds and a pair of assists in 38 minutes.
 
A'Liyah Forris had eight points and three rebounds and Hannah Tamou added five points.
 
The Monarchs remain on the road for a MCCAA East matchup at Henry Ford on Wednesday (Jan. 14) at 5:30 p.m.