NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., December 1, 2018 – In its final game of the Monroe Invitational weekend, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team dropped a tight 73-72 decision to College of Central Florida on Saturday at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs fall to 6-4 on the season with the loss, while the Patriots improve to 7-4.
 
Just like in Friday's win, Thomas Binelli opened the game with a quick three for the Mustangs. Monroe went on to take an 8-4 lead, but a three by Rajan Barnes made it an 8-7 game. The game stayed close, reaching a 16-16 stalemate with 6:32 left in the first half.
 
The Mustangs broke the tie with a layup by Will Martinez, followed shortly after with a three by Lovro Bulesic to make it a 21-16 lead for Monroe. The Patriots scored four straight, but Bulesic drained another long ball to put Monroe ahead by four again. The lead reached six for the Mustangs when Martinez made another two, but the Patriots rallied back within one with 1:08 on the clock. A jumper by Martinez and a free throw by Elijah Mitchell in the final 30 seconds left the Mustangs ahead, 31-27, at the break.
 
Binelli opened the half with a good jumper to push the lead to six, but the Patriots rattled off eight straight points to go up, 35-33. Back-to-back twos by Martinez and Mitchell, followed by a trey from Binelli put the Mustangs back up by five early in the second half.
 
The Mustangs held a 41-38 lead before Central Florida went on another 8-0 run to take a 46-41 edge. The Patriots went on to take a 49-43 advantage before a seven-point rally by Monroe, capped off by a Zion Styles three-pointer, put the Mustangs back up by one. The teams went back-and-forth before a 7-0 run for Central Florida put the Patriots ahead, 60-55, with 7:02 on the clock.
 
The Mustangs responded with six points in a row, getting within one after a layup by Styles. Latrell Jones dunked one for Central Florida to put the Patriots back up by three, but Juan Felix Rodriguez and Binelli scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Mustangs back up, 63-62. The lead kept switching hands until a three by Jeremy Sheppard gave the Patriots a 71-67 advantage with just 17 seconds left. Styles made a layup to make it a one-possession game, but Sheppard made a pair of free throws to put the Patriots back up by four. Rodriguez made a three with basically no time left on the clock, getting Monroe within one, but without enough time for one more possession.
 
Rodriguez finished with 13 points and three steals to lead the Mustangs on Saturday. Styles added 12 points of his own. Binelli finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
Monroe will look to turn things around next weekend when the Mustangs host the Monroe College Roundball Classic at the MAC. They will open play on Saturday, Dec. 8, when they take on Macomb Community College following a matchup between Lackawanna and Monroe Community College. Monroe and Macomb will tip-off at 7 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).