NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 24, 2020 – In the final contest of the regular season, the Monroe College Mustangs JV men's basketball team defeated its Bronx-campus counterpart, the Monroe Express JV team, 81-60, Monday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 14-14 overall, while the Express drop to 6-15.
The Express got the early jump on the Mustangs in Monday's matchup, taking a quick 9-2 lead. The Mustangs responded with the next eight points to take a 10-9 lead. The run continued after an Express three-pointer, with the Mustangs scoring another six points to take a 16-12 lead. A 9-0 run late in the half for the Mustangs put them ahead, 39-20, with 2:36 to play before the break.
Onterio Miller closed out the half with a three for the Mustangs just before the buzzer, leaving the Mustangs ahead, 43-23, heading into halftime.
The Mustangs spread the ball around in the first half, with
James Paul leading the team with nine points.
Jedidiah Ashton,
Erizander Laureano and
Luis Quinones each tallied eight points across the first 20 minutes.
Keniah Lloyd led with seven rebounds, adding another four points.
The Mustangs continued to hold a big lead early in the second half, going up, 55-31, with 16:26 to play. A 9-0 run by the Express got them back within 15, but the Mustangs scored the next eight points to push the lead back to 23. The Express made another run late in the half, scoring eight straight to cut the deficit to 18, but the Mustangs kept the heat on them to eventually win by 21.
Lloyd finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double in the win.
Luis Quinones led the team with 14 points and four assists, adding five rebounds and three steals.
James Paul added 12 points and a team-high five steals.
Jerald Campbell and Laureano each scored 11 points.
The Mustangs are now set for the American Independent Post Grad and Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament, which will be held at the Monroe Athletic Complex on March 14 and 16.
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).