NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 19, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team made the most of Sophomore Night at the Monroe Athletic Complex, as they completed a perfect 4-0 season in Region XV play by defeating rival ASA College by a score of 80-64. The Mustangs improve to 22-5 overall on the year with the win, while the Avengers drop to 13-8 and 0-4 in region play.
 
The game started off as a low-scoring affair, with the Mustangs holding a 16-11 advantage with 9:29 left on the clock. After some tough defensive battles on both sides of the court, a steal for the Mustangs led Zion Styles sprinting down the court, allowing him to slam home an impressive modified windmill dunk to put the Mustangs up by seven and force ASA to call a timeout.
 
The Avengers scored the first five points after the timeout, but Monroe responded with a 10-2 run to take a 10-point advantage. The Avengers made a couple free throws in the final minute, but Thomas Binelli drained a three with 30 seconds left, sending the game to the half with the Mustangs on top, 34-23.
 
Juan Felix Rodriguez led the Mustangs with eight points and three assists at the break. Binelli added seven, while Mouhamadou Gueye scored six with a team-high five rebounds.
 
Monroe quickly made it a 15-point game by opening the second half on a 5-1 run. The lead soon reached 17 points after a 7-0 run put Monroe ahead, 47-30, with 12:09 to play. With just under nine minutes left, ASA rallied to get back within single digits, but a 9-2 run by the Mustangs quickly put them back up by 16. Monroe's lead reached its peak at 19 points when Amadou Camara hit a layup with 36 seconds left, and the Mustangs held on to win by 17 points.
 
Binelli led the way with 21 points in the win after making four three-pointers. Rodriguez finished with 12 points, five boards and four assists. Will Martinez dished out a team-high seven assists and pulled down six rebounds while scoring four points. Gueye picked up 10 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks.
 
The Mustangs return to action on Thursday, Feb. 21, when they host Covenant College Prep at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
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).