NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 6, 2018 – Fueled by a pair of double-doubles from Jhery Matos and Bryan Assie, the Monroe College men's basketball team defeated Hostos Community College by a score of 93-75 Tuesday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 15-10 on the year with the win, while the Caimans drop to 8-14.
 
Matos had one of his best games of the season, leading all players with 29 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday. Assie netted 15 points and added 10 rebounds while also blocking three shots in the win.
 
The Mustangs opened the game with a bang when Assie slammed one down for the first points of the game. Monroe went on to open up with an 8-3 run for an early advantage. The Caimans then turned things around, going on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 10-10.
 
Moments later, a Matos three-pointer put the Mustangs ahead, 15-10, but Hostos' Jonathan Loria responded with one of his own. Matos came right back down the court and nailed a three from the corner, sparking an 8-0 run that put the home team ahead, 23-13.
 
Later in the frame, a 6-0 run by Monroe pushed the lead to 13 points, but Hostos made six of the next nine points to get back within 10. The Mustangs closed the half with six straight points to take a 46-30 advantage into the break.
 
Monroe scored the first two baskets of the second half before Loria hit a three for the Caimans to keep Monroe's lead at 17. Clifton Tracey then sank a three to push Monroe's lead to 20. Later, another three by Tracey left the Mustangs up, 58-37, with 16:27 on the clock.
 
Monroe's lead dipped to 19 points at the 14:03 mark, but Damont Kearse drained a long three to make it a 22-point game again. After Hostos got a layup from Malvin Nieves, Matos sank another three, followed by a layup, to make it a 71-46 game.
 
Hostos made a big run to close the gap later in the half. They cut the 27-point deficit down to 14 with an 18-5 run, leaving the visitors down, 80-66, with 5:33 to play. The Mustangs regrouped and scored the next five points, and later used a 7-0 run to wrap things up, holding on for the 18-point win.
 
Making his second straight start, Kearse had another solid game, going for 14 points, six assists and four boards. Tracey banked 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
 
The Mustangs get back to work on Thursday, Feb. 8, when they host ASA College in a regional matchup at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday's contest will be a Black Out game, as fans are encouraged to wear black to cheer on the Mustangs, who will don their black uniforms.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level as of the fall of 2017.
 
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).