NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 29, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team fell just short against Baltimore City Community College, 62-59, in their Monroe College Invitational opener on Thursday at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
 
The Mustangs led for much of the first half, opening the game with a 5-0 lead on a jumper by Will Martinez and three by Thomas Binelli. Binelli added 11 more in the half as the Mustangs led by as many as five, before Baltimore City closed the gap to three to end the half.
 
Monroe held a 28-25 halftime lead, and came out strong to start the second half, building a nine-point lead on Elijah Mitchell's layup with 14:19 remaining. But the Mustangs couldn't get the lead to double-digits, and Baltimore City closed the gap, tying the game at 50-all with 7:09 remaining.
 
A ferocious dunk by Mouhamadou Gueye made it 52-50, but neither team was able to build a lead as the Mustangs and Panthers traded buckets over the final three minutes, with three ties and two lead changes.
 
However, with the score tied at 59, Ahmad William's two free throws gave the Panthers the lead for good, as the Mustangs weren't able to find a bucket on the other end and fell, 62-59.
 
Binelli led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Martinez and Mitchell each added 10. Gueye recorded 12 rebounds to lead the way defensively, while Martinez tallied a team-high five assists.
 
With the loss, the Mustangs drop to 5-3 on the season, while the Panthers move to 8-1.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Friday, Nov. 30 when they continue play in the Monroe College Invitational, taking on Cape Fear Community College at 5 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).