NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 11, 2018 – Led by a number of impressive stat lines on Thursday, the Monroe College men's basketball team picked up an 80-55 victory over Lackawanna College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe improves to 11-7 on the season with the win, while Lackawanna drops to 12-3.
 
Jhery Matos had a big evening for the Mustangs, finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Nukoy Singleton picked up his first double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, while also contributing six boards and four steals. Bryan Assie also registered a double-double, netting 12 points to go with 11 rebounds.
 
Monroe got off to a hot start, draining a trio of threes to take a 16-4 lead by the 13:08 mark of the first half. The lead grew to 14 points when Assie hit a jumper at the 8:39 mark. Lackawanna then went on a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to seven points. A three by Damont Kearse put Monroe back on top by 10, eventually leading to a 36-26 lead at the half for the Mustangs.
 
Clifton Tracey got Monroe started on the right foot in the second frame, hitting a three on the first possession and a jumper a couple minutes later to make it a 41-30 game. The Falcons went on a seven-point run to get within four, but Monroe retook control with seven in a row of their own. After the Falcons got back within six, the Mustangs went on an incredible 24-3 run across six minutes, capped off by a pair of long balls by Matos, to take a 27-point lead, eventually hanging on for the 25-point victory.
 
The Mustangs shot 43.3 percent from the floor in the win, while making eight three pointers. They held the Falcons to just 32.8 percent shooting, including just 13 percent from beyond the arc. Monroe held a 49-40 edge in rebounds. The Mustangs took advantage of 21 points off turnovers in the win, while also scoring 10 second-chance points.
 
Monroe gets back to work on Monday, Jan. 15, when they visit Region XV foe ASA College at St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. following the women's matchup between Monroe and ASA.
 
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, has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level as of 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).