NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 13, 2022 – After a competitive first half, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team turned up the heat in the second frame with a 35-0 run to defeat the Omnia Basketball Academy from Finland, 86-62, Thursday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 15-5 overall on the year with the win.
The Mustangs fell behind early in Thursday's contest, but fought off a seven-point deficit to go up, 26-25, with 4:42 left in the opening half. The score was tied up going into the final two minutes before
Melvin Council Jr. sank a jumper, eventually sending the game to the break with Monroe up, 32-30.
Omnia managed to take control for a few minutes in the second half, leading, 47-44, with 12:58 on the clock. The tables turned on a dime just moments later, seeing the Mustangs put up their biggest run of the season. Council completed a three-point play after a foul to tie the game, then
Isac Ahnstrand put the Mustangs in the lead with a three-pointer. With the Mustangs up four,
Tyje Kelton drained a three, and then Ahnstrand dropped two more in a row to go up by 13.
David Gordon made it 15 with a layup, and then Kelton dropped the next four to make it a 19-point game. Council scored two more, and then Gordon sank a layup through a foul, making his shot from the charity stripe to push the lead to 24. Later, another layup from Kelton made it 30-point Mustang advantage with 6:54 to play. A steal and a slam by Council capped off a 35-point run for the Mustangs, leaving them up, 79-47, before Omnia finally broke the streak with a three. Monroe's lead shrunk to 23 points in the final minute, but there was no concern, as they held on to win by 24.
Council finished with 25 points in the win, falling just short of a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Council also added four steals and two assists.
Nikola Danicic was next with 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots. Kelton scored 12 off the bench with eight boards and two steals. Gordon netted 10 off the bench as well.
Braelon Joe did not register a point, but was productive regardless with a team high of eight assists.
A 31-10 edge in takeaways for the Mustangs led to a 42-8 advantage in points off turnovers in the win. The Mustangs also dominated under the rim and from close range with 46 points off the paint, compared to 24 for Omnia. The Mustangs outrebounded their guests, 44-40, including a 16-7 lead in offensive boards in the victory.
The Mustangs will host the Monroe College MLK Classic this weekend at the Monroe Athletic Complex, an eight-game men's and women's tournament from Saturday through Sunday. The Mustangs open their weekend on Saturday, Jan. 15, with a 6 p.m. tip-off against CCBC Dundalk.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 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 14 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).
