NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y, December 1, 2017 – Behind a dominant, 45-point second half performance, the Monroe Mustangs' JV men's basketball team topped Prestige Preparatory Academy, 76-60 on Friday.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the first half, the Mustangs and Patriots went on a series of a runs. With the Mustangs' trailing by four, Monroe went on a 10-0 run, holding Prestige Prep scoreless for upwards of five minutes midway through the first half, to take a 15-9 lead.
 
And after a couple Patriots buckets, the Mustangs went on another quick, 7-0 run to extend their lead to 22-13 with 8:48 to play in the first half.
 
But Prestige Prep responded with a 14-0 run of their own, holding Monroe scoreless from the 8:48 mark of the first half till Joans Gjeci's free throw ended the run with 3:38 to play in the first.
 
The Mustangs' cut the deficit to three with Gjeci's two free throws, but five straight points from the Patriots gave Prestige Prep a 32-24 lead. Aside from a 3-0 Monroe run to end the half, the teams traded buckets the rest of the way and Prestige Prep took a 35-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
In the second half, it was another pair of runs, a 9-0 run over three minutes of action, and a 7-0 run over four minutes of action, that gave the Mustangs the lead. Monroe led 45-39 after its 9-0 run, and its 7-0 run extended the lead out to double-digits, 52-42 with just over 11 minutes to play.
 
This time however, the third run of the quarter came again from Monroe and not from Prestige Prep, as the Mustangs' extended their lead to 62-47 with 8:01 to play with an 8-0 run. A few minutes later, Monroe followed with a 13-0 run to extend their lead out to 25, eventually pulling away with a 76-60 victory.
 
In total, the Mustangs outscored the Patriots 43-16 in the second half.
 
Gjeci led the way for the Mustangs with 16 points, while Christopher Davis and Joseph Madden Jr. also tallied double-figures with 14 and 12 points apiece. Davis fell two rebounds shy of a double-double, and also added four assists, two steals and two blocks, while Madden Jr. totaled seven rebounds in the victory.
 
The Mustangs' shot 44.3 percent from the floor, and scored 34 points off 28 Patriot turnovers.
 
The Monroe Mustangs' JV men's basketball team returns to action Saturday, Dec. 2 when they take on Navy Prep at the Monroe Athletic Complex at 7 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).