NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 6, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team opened the 2018-19 campaign on the right foot, defeating Our Saviour Lutheran (OSL) by a score of 101-54 Tuesday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs start the year at 1-0, while OSL falls to 0-1.
 
The Mustangs caught fire right from the jump in Tuesday's opener, as Zion Styles hit back-to-back threes in the first minute for a quick 6-0 lead. Ebrima Jassey Demba followed shortly after with a trey of his own, pushing the lead to nine.
 
The Mustangs went cold for a few minutes after that, as OSL started to chip away. An 8-0 run for the Falcons brought them back within one, but a powerful dunk by Deng Bol Yol halted OSL's momentum and got the Mustangs going again. That turned into a 13-2 run for Monroe, putting the Mustangs ahead, 22-10.
 
The Mustangs continued to pile it out, grabbing a 36-17 lead with 4:15 left in the half. OSL's Charles Noonan made a layup, but the Mustangs followed with another 10-point rally to go ahead by 27. The teams traded free throws to close out the half, as the Mustangs took a 48-23 advantage into the locker room.
 
Will Martinez led the Mustangs with 11 points at the break. Bol Yol had seven points and six boards in the first 20 minutes. Styles added nine points, while Juan Felix Rodriguez handed out three assists.
 
The Mustangs kept the heat on the Falcons to open the second half, starting with a 6-3 run to take a 54-26 lead. A 13-4 after that pushed the Mustang lead to 37 points and forced OSL to call a timeout.
 
Monroe's lead hit 40 points when the Mustangs went up, 77-37, with 9:28 left in the second half. It grew even larger when the Mustangs took an 83-41 edge with just 7:16 left on the clock. The Mustangs surpassed the century mark on a layup by Amadou Camara with 38 seconds to play, giving the Mustangs a 101-54 victory.
 
Six Mustangs reached double figures in Tuesday's win. Elijah Mitchell led the way with 14 points, while Martinez and Rodriguez matched with 13 points apiece. Lovro Bulesic added 12 points, Styles added 11, and Camara finished with 10. Bol Yol just missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds, adding a pair of blocks. Rodriguez and Camara matched with a team-best three assists. Martinez contributed four steals to lead the team.
 
The Mustangs take a short trip into the Bronx Thursday evening to take on Hostos Community College. Tip-off is set for 6 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).