NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 4, 2017 – The Monroe Mustangs JV men's basketball team opened their 2017-18 season with an 87-59 win over Herkimer County Community College, keyed by a 24-4 second-half run.
 
The Generals and Mustangs went back-and-forth in the first half, with neither team holding more than an eight-point lead. Isaiah Allen-Smith started off red-hot for Monroe, tallying 18 points in the first half, on 6-for-9 shooting, including 50 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Joans Gjeci added nine points in the first half, and headed into halftime, four rebounds and one point shy of a double-double. Gjeci would eventually tally a double-double in the second half and finish with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Mustangs took a 48-42 lead into the break, with both teams shooting above 45 percent from the floor at the break.
 
After some early back-and-forth in the second half, Monroe's lead stood firm at six points with 14:07 to play. But over the next 10 minutes, the Mustangs went on a 24-4 to four run, extending their lead from 54-48 to 78-52 with 4:20 to play.
 
Rakim Bryant and Amadou Camara helped key the 20-point run for the Mustangs, with Bryant and Camara tallying 14 of the Mustangs 20 points over the 10-minute stretch.
 
Monroe wouldn't stop there, however, as the Mustangs extended their lead out to 31 points with 1:10 to play on Bryant's three, but a late three by the Generals cut the deficit to 28 with just under a minute to play.
 
Allen-Smith led the Mustangs with 23 points, shooting 61.5 percent for the day. Christopher Davis led the Mustangs on the board, tallying 13 to go along with his two points.
 
For the game, Monroe shot 43.7 percent from the floor, holding Herkimer County to 38.3 percent shooting, including just 20 percent, 5-for-25, in the second half.
 
With the win, Monroe moves to 1-0 on the season, while the Generals drop to 0-1. The Mustangs will be back in action Sunday, Nov. 5 when they take on the College of New Rochelle at 1 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, will have six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning in the fall of 2017.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).