NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 5, 2020 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team spread the ball around on Wednesday, seeing seven Mustangs score in double figures as they took down Our Saviour Lutheran (OSL), 96-66, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 16-9 overall with the win.
 
Wednesday's contest got off to a neck-and-neck start, as neither team was able to gain much of an advantage on the other for the first 10 minutes. The Falcons drained a couple of threes to take a 21-16 lead midway through the half, but the Mustangs responded with 16 straight points, holding OSL off the board for more than six minutes to take a 32-21 advantage with 3:47 left in the half. OSL halted the run with a layup by Ibrahim Dibassy, but the Mustangs continued to control, securing a 41-28 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
Akeem Tate led the Mustangs with 11 points at the half, adding a team-high five rebounds as well. Juan Felix Rodriguez was next with 10 points, while dishing out two assists and picking up two steals. Elijah Mitchell tallied seven points with four boards and two steals.
 
The Falcons cut the deficit to 11 early in the half, but the Mustangs steadily improved upon their lead after that. Seven straight points by the Mustangs made it a 52-34 game, and another seven-point run shortly after put the Mustangs ahead by 23. Monroe's lead never dropped to fewer than 21 points from that point forward, with the Mustangs reaching their largest lead of the game at 30 points in the final 19 seconds to pick up the 96-66 victory.
 
Rodriguez led the team with 19 points in the win, adding six assists. Marcus Thompson finished with 14 points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds. Tate and Shaheim Fryar matched with 13 points apiece, while Zion Styles and Julio Pascual each netted 11 points. Mitchell finished the game with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Without scoring a point, Ja'Mani Eaton nearly registered a double-double with nine points and nine assists off the bench.
 
The Mustangs return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, when they host Covenant College Prep at the MAC in Game 2 of a triple-header. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
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 Mustangs), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).