NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 8, 2018 – In a crucial matchup against Region XV foe ASA College, the Monroe College men's basketball team came out on top by a score of 73-61 Thursday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe improved to 16-10 with the win, while the Avengers dropped to 10-8.
 
The Mustangs started fast in Thursday's contest, opening up the game with a 9-0 run. Clifton Tracey capped off the early rally with a four-point play at the 18:01 mark. The Avengers then started to chip away at the deficit, but a pair of 5-0 runs shortly after left Monroe ahead, 21-10, at the 11:37 mark of the first half.
 
Monroe's lead later grew to 13 points when Tracey hit another three, but the lead shrunk from that point going forward. ASA went on a 10-2 run over the next few minutes to draw within five with 3:41 left in the half. Monroe led by six before Jhery Matos hit a three from the corner to go up by nine. Anthony Butler laid one in for the Avengers with 1:27 on the clock for the final bucket of the opening frame, leaving Monroe up, 34-27, heading into the break.
 
ASA quickly cut Monroe's lead down to four early in the second stanza, but the Mustangs turned things around with a 7-0 run to go up, 41-30. The Mustangs and Avengers traded baskets back-and-forth for much of the half until Monroe rattled off 10 straight points to take a 69-52 lead with just 3:01 left to play. ASA netted the final six points of the game, but the Mustangs held on for the 12-point victory.
 
Matos registered his second straight double-double, leading the Mustangs with 21 points and 13 rebounds to go along with an impressive seven steals. Bryan Assie added 16 points, four boards and four assists. Damont Kearse tallied 13 points, while Tracey contributed nine.
 
The Mustangs got a big boost from their free-throw shooting, going 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) from the charity stripe in the win. They also shot 45.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. They also held a significant advantage on the boards with 42 rebounds compared to just 28 for ASA.
 
The Mustangs get back to work on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when they host Our Saviour Lutheran at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
 
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).