NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 1, 2019 – For the second straight season, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team will play host to the NJCAA Region XV Div. I Men's Basketball Championship at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs earned the right to host the tournament after finishing the season in first place after region play.
 
The 2019 Region XV Championship will take place on Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3. The two-game tournament will kick off with the semifinal matchup of No. 2 Harcum College vs. No. 3 ASA College on Saturday at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to Sunday's finals against No. 1 Monroe at 1 p.m.
 
The Mustangs earned the top seed in the region after going 4-0 in region play, defeating both Harcum and ASA twice during the regular season. Harcum swept its two-game season series with ASA, going 2-2 in the region, while the Avengers finished 0-4. The seeding was the same for the 2018 Region Championship, but ASA managed to surprise both the Bears and Mustangs, defeating both across championship weekend to claim the 2018 region title.
 
The Mustangs come into this year's tournament with a 24-5 overall record and a 13-game winning streak. Their 24 wins match the highest win total the program has finished with since picking up 33 victories in 2011-12. Monroe was recently rewarded for its success by entering the NJCAA Div. I Men's Basketball rankings at No. 23 this week, the team's first national ranking since 2015. Working in the Mustangs' favor this weekend is their 14-2 record at home, including 12 straight wins at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
 
Defensively, the Mustangs rank sixth in the nation in points allowed per game, giving up an average of just 65.1 points. Opposing teams are shooting just 37 percent from the field against Monroe, which ranks the Mustangs third in the NJCAA. The Mustangs are forcing the most turnovers in the NJCAA with an average of 23.1 per game, while ranking fourth in steals per game at 14.0.
 
A well-rounded offensive unit, the Mustangs have four student-athletes averaging double-digit points this season. Zion Styles and Thomas Binelli are tied for the team lead with 12.3 points per game, while Will Martinez is scoring 11.8 points per game and Juan Felix Rodriguez averages 11.0.
 
Harcum enters the weekend with a 23-7 overall record. They have won seven of their last eight games, and have scored 100-or-more points in five of those contests. A team with some size to it that plays strong defense, the Bears rank third in the country with 6.9 blocks per game, seventh with 12.4 steals per game, and 10th with 47.2 rebounds per game.
 
Offensively, Harcum ranks ninth in field goals made per game with 35.2, while averaging 93.7 points scored, good for 15th in the NJCAA. Dom London leads the team with 14.7 points per game, while Valdir Manuel is averaging 13.6 points, as well as a team-high 10.0 rebounds per game. Manuel is impressively shooting 54.4 percent from the field this season.
 
ASA has played the fewest games of this weekend's competitors, going 13-8 across 21 contests. The Avengers enter the tournament on a six-game losing streak, but have played close contests with both region opponents this year and have proven in the past that they can make a run.
 
Miguel Simon leads the Avengers with 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Robert Eddy Terrero is scoring 10.9 points per game, while Arsheen Jones and Cesar Ramirez are averaging 10.1 and 10.0 points, respectively. Jahmier Pugh leads the team with 2.8 assists per game, while Jones is close behind with an average of 2.1.
 
Both games this weekend will feature live stats and live streaming video, courtesy of Monroe College and the Mustangs Sports Network. Live coverage can be found at the following links:
LIVE STATS: http://monroecollegemustangs.com/sidearmstats/mbball
LIVE VIDEO: https://team1sports.com/monroecollege
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 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 Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has nine varsity and junior varsity 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).