NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 30, 2018 – After a tough loss Thursday evening, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team bounced back on Friday, taking down Cape Fear Community College by a score of 73-62 in the second day of the Monroe Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 6-3 on the season with the win, while the Sea Devils fall to 6-2.
 
Thomas Binelli set the tone right from the jump, draining a three on the first possession of the game. Elijah Mitchell turned a Will Martinez steal into a fast break layup to make it a 5-0 game, and then Deng Bol Yol got to the line and made both shots to quickly put the Mustangs up, 7-0. The Sea Devils rallied to get back within a point, but Daniel Cabassa nailed a three to give Monroe a 10-6 edge.
 
The Mustangs took a 16-9 lead before Cape Fear scored five straight to get back within a basket. The game was soon tied up at 18-18, but a 6-0 run for Monroe put the home team back in the lead. Ryan Friday made a pair of free throws to get the Sea Devils back within four, but Monroe scored the final four points of the half to take a 28-20 lead into the break.
 
A Jordon John three early in the half got the Sea Devils back within five of the Mustangs. A 9-1 run for Monroe then made it a 40-27 lead for the Mustangs. Later in the half, a technical foul allowed Juan Felix Rodriguez to go to the line, where he made one-of-two shots. The Mustangs kept possession, and Rodriguez made up for his miss with a three-pointer, pushing Monroe's lead to 56-40 with 9:52 left to play.
 
The Sea Devils responded to a 16-point deficit with a big run, outscoring the Mustangs, 13-3, over four minutes to make it a six-point game with just 5:37 left on the clock. The Mustangs pushed their lead back up to nine, but their opponents chipped away again, making it a five-point game at 66-61 with fewer than four minutes to play. Zion Styles took over, scoring seven points in the final minutes, including five free throws, to keep the Mustangs ahead and push their lead to 11 points before the final buzzer.
 
Styles finished with a game-high 17 points in the win, adding three rebounds and two steals. Rodriguez contributed 12 points, six boards and four steals. Binelli finished with 10 points and six rebounds on the evening.
 
The Mustangs will look to get a winning streak going on Saturday, when they close out their weekend in the Monroe Invitational against the College of Central Florida. Tip-off from the MAC is set for 3 p.m.
 
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).