NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 17, 2019 – A flurry of slam dunks in the second half helped give the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team a huge momentum swing, leading to a 77-62 victory over Harcum College on Thursday in the Mustangs' Region XV opener at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe improves to 15-5 on the year and 1-0 in Region XV play with the win, while Harcum falls to 16-6 and 0-1.
 
As both defenses played well in the first half, Harcum took the early advantage with an 11-5 lead. The Mustangs quickly tied the game with six straight points, but a three by Josh Creach put the Bears back in the lead. The Bears were able to once again claim a six-point lead at 21-15, but the Mustangs kept it close and slowly chipped away at the deficit. After trailing 27-23, Monroe scored the next six points, capped off by a layup from Juan Felix Rodriguez with 47 seconds left, leaving the Mustangs up, 29-27, heading into the break.
 
The scoring once again got off to a slow start in the second half, but the Mustangs went on a 6-0 lead over the first four minutes to start the new frame, taking a 35-27 advantage. Brent Price made a three for Harcum to half the run, but the Mustangs responded with a three-point play by Rodriguez, followed shortly after by a three by Binelli to make it a 41-30 game with 14:14 on the clock.
 
The Bears narrowed the gap with five straight points, including another three by Price, to get within six. Mouhamadou Gueye then slammed one down to half the short run, but Michael Okafor dunked one himself on the next possession. Zion Styles then sprinted down the court, where he was set up for another forceful slam. The Mustangs later took a 51-39 lead after Gueye took off for another slam dunk with 10:36 remaining.
 
Despite some big shots by the Bears, the Mustangs were playing with a ton of confidence and grew their lead to 68-51 with just 6:37 left to play. Five straight points for the Bears brought them back within 14, but the Mustangs scored the next three, followed shortly after by Binelli's sixth long ball of the game, making it a 77-57 game with just 1:19 to go, eventually leading to the 15-point win.
 
While the dunks stole the show, Binelli lit up the scoreboard with six three-pointers, leading to a game-high 24 points for the sophomore. He also finished with a team-high nine rebounds. Gueye finished with eight points and seven points, including a number of impressive slams. He was joined by Zion Styles, who also threw a few down in a 12-point effort. Will Martinez came off the bench to score 12 points, adding a game-high seven assists.
 
The Mustangs will carry a four-game winning streak, all at home, into this weekend's Monroe College MLK Classic at the MAC. Monroe will open up its weekend on Saturday, Jan. 19, with a 4 p.m. matchup against Erie Community College, the third contest of a four-game afternoon in New Rochelle.
 
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).