SANBORN, N.Y., December 5, 2021 – For the third time in three games during the Upstate New York road trip, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team overcame a big deficit, this time erasing Div. II No. 9 Niagara County Community College's 24-point, second-half advantage to come out on top, 96-89, on Sunday. The Mustangs improve to 9-3 overall with the win, while the Thunderwolves fall to 8-2.
 
The Mustangs trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before getting within 10 on a Tyje Kelton layup right before the buzzer, going to halftime in a 48-38 hole. The Thunderwolves' lead peaked at 24 points when they went up, 68-44, with 13:32 remaining in the second half.
 
The Mustangs turned the tables, going on a 13-0 run to get back within 11 with 10:32 still left on the clock. Niagara County was up by 11 again with 7:06 to go after an Allen Fordham three. Jadon Archer responded with a three of his own, followed shortly after with a three from Isac Ahnstrand. Fordham responded with another longball of his own to push the lead back to eight for the home team with 6:01 on the clock.
 
Melvin Council Jr. made a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game. Kelton then dunked one home to bring Monroe within four. The Thunderwolves were able to go back up by seven with 3:57 to go, but that was then the Mustangs caught fire once again. Archer made four free throws on back-to-back possessions, and then Ahnstrand hit a layup to make it a one-point game. Council put Monroe in the lead with a layup, and then Archer hit 1-of-2 from the line to make it a two-point game with 2:15 to play.
 
Monroe's run ended at nine points after a free throw by the Thunderwolves made it a one-point game again. Monroe was up by two at 89-87 with 1:12 to go, and then Kelton scored while being fouled, completing a three-point play to push the lead to five. It was a five-point game again with seven seconds left before Archer sank two final shots from the charity stripe, giving the Mustangs the seven-point victory.
 
Archer led the Mustangs with 23 points off the bench on Sunday, adding eight rebounds and four assists. Kelton just missed a double-double with 19 points and nine boards. Council finished with 17 points and nine rebounds while dishing out three assists. Ahnstrand netted 14 points with four assists. Keith Warren Jr. contributed 10 points off the bench, while Hamdel Mohammed scored nine points with nine rebounds.
 
Depth made a big difference in the game for Monroe, as the Mustangs outscored the Thunderwolves in bench points, 56-24. They also held a 42-32 edge in points in the paint, while also outrebounding their hosts, 44-34.
 
The Mustangs will play next on Saturday, Dec. 11, when they host Day 1 of the Monroe College Men's and Women's Mixer at the Monroe Athletic Complex. They will open the weekend with a rematch from this past Friday against Monroe Community College at 6 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.