NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., December 12, 2021 – After seeing the lead disappear late,
Hamdel Mohammed sank a put-back in the final second of the game, lifting the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team to a 76-74 over Howard Community College on the final day of the Monroe College Men's & Women's Mixer at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Sunday. The Mustangs improve to 11-3 with the win, while the Dragons fall to 7-5.
The Mustangs had a nine-point lead with four minutes remaining, and later led by seven with 2:05 on the clock. The Dragons whittled away the lead, tying the game on a three by Daeshawn Eaton with eight seconds on the clock. The Mustangs rushed down the court, and
Melvin Council Jr. tried to drive right to the hoop, but his attempt was block. However, it went right to Mohammed on his way up to the rim, where he was able to tip it right back in with 0.8 on the clock to put the Mustangs up by two. The ensuing inbound pass was bobbled between Mustang and Dragon players, allowing time to expire and clinch the win for Monroe.
The Mustangs controlled for most of the second half, leading by as many as 12 points with just under seven minutes to play. They held tight to a comfortable advantage, but were unable to pull away entirely, leading to the Dragons' comeback in the final two minutes of the game.
The early minutes of Sunday's matchup were neck-and-neck, seeing the Dragons go up, 11-10, with 15:23 on the clock. The Mustangs responded with a 13-2 run, taking a 23-13 lead with 8:10 to go. The Mustangs were up, 31-21, late in the half, but the Dragons scored five straight to draw within five. Monroe picked up the next four to go back up by nine, but DJ Tucker hit a pair of free throws for the Dragons to get within seven.
Keon Gill had a big offensive rebound and score with 43 seconds left to put Monroe back up by nine, but Eaton hit a three with 17 seconds left, leaving the Mustangs up, 37-31, heading to the half.
Mohammed had a big day off the bench, registering a double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, adding three blocks and two steals as well. Council led the team with 24 points, picking up five boards, two assists and two steals as well.
Tyje Kelton contributed 11 points, while
Isac Ahnstrand finished with nine points and a team-high of four assists.
The Mustangs have just three games left in the 2021 calendar year, and they will take place next weekend down in North Carolina at the Brunswick Classic, hosted by Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, N.C. The Mustangs open the weekend on Friday, Dec. 17, against host Brunswick at 5 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 39 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 18 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
