TALLAHASSEE, Fla., December 29, 2018 – Elijah Mitchell's pair of free throws with less than a second to play were the difference in a back-and-forth matchup on Saturday at the Tallahassee Democrat Holiday Classic, in which the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team upset No. 4 Tallahassee Community College by a score of 74-73. The Mustangs improve to 10-4 overall with the gutsy win, while the Eagles take their first loss of the season to drop to 16-1.
 
Trailing by a point after a Mustafa Lawrence free throw for Tallahassee, Mitchell earned his way to the charity stripe with a chance to give the Mustangs the lead with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock. Mitchell was good on both attempts to put the Mustangs ahead by a point. The Eagles were able to inbound the ball, but were unable to line up a shot past midcourt, securing the huge victory for Monroe.
 
In a game that featured 12 lead changes, the Mustangs took the early momentum after going up 6-0 with threes by Juan Felix Rodriguez and Mouhamadou Gueye. The tables soon turned toward the home team when Tallahassee rallied back to take a 19-13 edge with 8:16 left in the first half. The Eagles later went up by eight with just over three minutes to play before the break, but the Mustangs went on an 8-0 run to wrap up the half with a 34-32 advantage.
 
Mitchell gave the Mustangs a boost early on with nine points off the bench in the first half. Zion Styles added eight points across the first 20 minutes, while Rodriguez and Gueye each scored five.
 
The Mustangs kept rolling in the first few minutes of the second half, scoring eight of the first 10 points to take a 42-34 edge. Eight straight for the Eagles then erased the deficit, beginning a long run of lead changes and ties. The Eagles managed to grab a six-point lead with 8:20 on the clock, but the Mustangs took the advantage right back just two minutes later with seven straight points to go up, 60-59.
 
It was all tied up at 68-68 before Jalen Dalcourt sank a layup for the Eagles to put them up by two. Styles then went to the line and made both chances for the Mustangs to tie the game again. Lawrence scored another two for the Eagles, but Ebrima Jassey Demba responded two possessions later with a layup of his own to make it a 72-72 game. Lawrence was fouled with 22 seconds left in the game, but only made the first of two shots to leave the home team ahead, 73-72. Mitchell then found his way to the free-throw line and made both chances to give the Mustangs the game.
 
Mitchell and Styles matched for the team lead with 19 points on the afternoon. Mitchell impressively made all 11 of his attempts from the free-throw line, while Styles made 5-of-6 foul shots. Rodriguez finished with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Will Martinez provided a team-leading three assists and three steals off the bench.
 
After a pair of big victories at the Tallahassee Democrat Holiday Classic this weekend, the Mustangs take Sunday off before heading down to Cocoa, Fla. for the Josh Artis Memorial Classic, hosted by Eastern Florida State College on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The Mustangs will first challenge Miami Dade College on Monday, Dec. 31, at 4 p.m. They will then wrap up their Florida trip on Tuesday, Jan. 1, with a 4 p.m. contest against No. 25 Eastern Florida State.
 
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).