JENKINTOWN, Pa., November 12, 2019 – Fueled by Juan Felix Rodriguez's second straight double-double to start the season, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team won its first road contest of the season, a 99-71 victory over Manor College Monday afternoon. The Mustangs improve to 2-0 with the win, both via the same 99-71 score, while Manor drops to 1-5.
 
Rodriguez led all scorers in the game with 19 points, while pulling down 10 rebounds to complete his second double-double in as many games. He also produced game highs of seven assists and three steals in the win.
 
The Blue Jays' only leads of the game came in the first two minutes of the first half when they took a 2-0 lead, followed shortly after by a 3-2 lead. It was all Mustangs from that point forward, as Monroe took a double-digit lead at the 11:41 mark with a 20-9 advantage. The Blue Jays got back within six by cutting Monroe's lead down to 23-17, but a 7-0 run by the Mustangs put them ahead by 13 with 4:41 to play in the half. A three-pointer by Akeem Tate with just 51 seconds left in the half sent game into halftime with the Mustangs ahead by 20 at 40-20.
 
Monroe's lead reached 25 points with the first five points of the second half. Manor began to outscore the Mustangs for a number of minutes to get within 16 points, but the Mustangs rebounded well to take their largest lead of the game, an 80-51 edge, with 7:34 to play. Monroe was unable to push its lead to 30 points, but the Blue Jays never got closer than 23 the rest of the was, as the Mustangs closed it out with a 99-71 win.
 
Jeremiah Kendall had his second consecutive big game to start his career in the Royal and Gold, scoring 15 points with five rebounds and three assists while shooting 6-of-11 from the field. Julio Pascual added 12 points and seven boards, while Marcus Thompson reached double figures once again with 10 points, adding six rebounds. Tobias Perkovic was second on the team with eight rebounds and added five points.
 
The Mustangs shot 50 percent (38-of-76) from the field in the win. 52 of Monroe's 99 points came from the bench, while Manor's bench produced just 18 points. The Mustangs outscored the Blue Jays in the paint, 56-40, and held a 19-10 advantage in points off turnovers. Second-chances points were also heavily in favor of the Mustangs, 29-6.
 
The Mustangs, now receiving votes in the NJCAA Div. I Men's Basketball Rankings, will face a big early-season test this weekend as they travel down to Great Bend, Kansas, to compete in the Best Western/Booster Club Classic, hosted by Barton Community College. The Mustangs will challenge No. 7-ranked Hutchinson Community College on Friday, Nov. 15, at 4 p.m. EST. They will then conclude the weekend against host Barton on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8:30 p.m. EST.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 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).