NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., December 1, 2017 – In a contest that went wire-to-wire, the Monroe College men's basketball team came up clutch when it counted, picking up a tightly contested 65-61 victory over Cape Fear Community College on Friday in the sixth game of the weekend's Monroe College Invitational tournament, hosted by the Mustangs at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The win improves the Mustangs to 6-3 on the year, while Cape Fear falls to 4-5.
 
The Mustangs took a quick 10-4 lead on the Sea Devils through the first five minutes before both teams cooled off, leading to more than three minutes of scoreless basketball. Cape Fear's Jerick Haynes ended the cold streak with a layup, but Thomas Binelli quickly responded for the Mustangs with a good jumper. Kwe Parker then hit back-to-back threes for the Sea Devils, tying the game at 12-12. Isaiah Ward hit a layup to put the Mustangs back in the lead, but a six-point run for the visitors gave Cape Fear an 18-14 advantage with 6:16 left in the half. Jhery Matos responded with a layup, and then on the next possession, he fed Deng Bol Yol perfectly under the rim for an easy slam dunk to tie the game at 18-18.
 
Alston Davis hit a three for Cape Fear to give the Sea Devils the lead once again, but the Mustangs turned things around with a six-point run to go up, 24-21. Later, a three by Parker got the visitors back within one, and a layup by Haynes with 30 seconds left gave the Sea Devils a 27-26 lead heading into the half.
 
Continuing its momentum from the end of the first half, Cape Fear came out firing to open the second frame, scoring eight straight points to cap off a 13-0 run to take a 35-26 lead. Trailing by 9, the Mustangs chipped away at the deficit with a six-point run, getting back within three at 37-34 with 14:14 on the clock. After Parker hit a layup for Cape Fear, Clifton Tracey drained a three to make it a two-point game. Matos then sank a jumper to tie the game, and followed the next time down the court with a big three to put the Mustangs back on top, 42-39.
 
By the 10:46 mark, the Sea Devils tied the game up once again, but Tracey fired back with another long ball to take the lead right back. The Sea Devils then rattled off seven straight points to go ahead, 50-46, with 8:09 left to play. Ward then nailed a three to get back within one, but Donte Tatum hit a layup to keep the Sea Devils on top by three. Matos then hit a layup, followed shortly after by a dunk by Bryan Assie, putting Monroe ahead, 53-52, with just 4:17 left in regulation.
 
Zaquawn Matthews hit a three for the Sea Devils to put them ahead, 55-53, but Assie hit another layup shortly after to tie the game up once again. Ward then hit another clutch three, giving Monroe a 58-55 advantage with just 2:45 on the clock. Haynes put one in off the glass, but Binelli followed by tipping in a miss to keep the Mustangs in the lead by three. After a steal, Matos sprinted down the court and slammed it home to go up by five with some added momentum. The Sea Devils managed to draw back-to-back fouls, making all four shots to get back within a point, but the Mustangs were able to hold them off the board on the next possession with lock-down defense. Ward was fouled, and made just the back half of his two shots to make it a two-point game. The Mustangs once again locked down on defense, and Bol Yol came up with a big rebound under the hoop, where he was fouled and sent to the line. Bol Yol made both chances to push the lead to four with just five seconds left. The Sea Devils tried a three, but could not get it to go, giving the Mustangs a hard-fought four-point win.
 
Matos led the way with 22 points and seven assists, also adding seven rebounds and three steals in the win. Ward completed a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Binelli finished with eight points and seven boards.
 
Monroe finishes its weekend against No. 2-ranked Northwest Florida State College on Saturday, Dec. 2, in the final contest of the Monroe College Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.
 
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).