BRONX, N.Y., November 8, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the early season Thursday evening after taking a short trip into the Bronx to take down Hostos Community College by a score of 88-61.
 
The Caimans managed to take an early 7-6 lead on the Mustangs. A dunk by Zion Styles then changed the momentum of the game, leading to the Mustangs taking a sizeable lead. Before long, Monroe went up, 36-14, after a 17-0 run. A run late in the half cut the deficit to 16, but Elijah Mitchell capped off the opening 20 minutes with a three to leave the Mustangs up, 55-36, heading into the break.
 
Will Martinez had a big first half, leading all scorers with 15 points. Styles added 10 of his own, while Juan Felix Rodriguez had nine points and five boards at the half.
 
The Caimans came out firing, going on an 8-0 run across the opening 4:27 of the half to get back within 11. The Mustangs finally broke their scoreless streak when Lovro Bulesic drained a three at the 15:06 mark. That kicked off a 9-0 stretch for Monroe, pushing the Mustang lead back up to 20 with 13:37 left to play.
 
Hostos once again got back within 15 points with just under 10 minutes to play, but a 12-2 run for Monroe made it a 25-point game with 7:31 to go. The Mustangs took their largest lead in the final minute when Daniel Cabassa threw down one last dunk to reach the final score of 88-61.
 
Rodriguez finished up with his first career double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the win. Martinez just missed registering one of his own with a team-high 17 points and nine boards, while also dishing out a team-best six assists. Styles ended up with 14 points and five steals, while Mitchell matched his and Rodriguez's 14 points.
 
The Mustangs take a week off before traveling to Baltimore, Md., for next weekend's Baltimore City Community College Tournament, where they will play three games from Friday, Nov. 16, to Sunday, Nov. 18. They open the weekend on Friday against Northern Virginia Community College, with tip-off scheduled for 4 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).