NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 15, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team got its weekend started on the right foot at the Monroe College MLK Classic on Saturday, defeating CCBC Dundalk, 72-58, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 16-5 overall with the win, while the Lions fall to 8-6.
The Mustangs struggled early in Saturday's matchup, failing to score until the 16:11 mark, when
Nikola Danicic made a pair of free throws to make it a 7-2 game in favor of CCBC Dundalk. Those two points led to seven straight for Monroe to tie the game. After a pair of free throws by Balenga Kabassu for the Lions, Monroe went on a 15-1 to take a 22-10 advantage. The Lions went nearly 18 minutes without a field goal, breaking the streak when Amear Johnson hit a jumper with 1:04 left to make it a 32-18 lead for Monroe. Johnson made a layup on the next possession, but
Melvin Council Jr. laid one in right before the buzzer to leave the Mustangs up, 34-20, at the break.
Council led the Mustangs with eight points and four steals at the half.
David Gordon secured a team-high six rebounds to go with four points.
Keith Warren Jr. made a pair of threes for six points in the first 20 minutes.
Tyje Kelton added another six points off the bench.
Monroe got the early jump on CCBC Dundalk in the second half, opening with an 11-2 run to take a 23-point lead at 45-22. The lead reached 24 points before the Lions scored eight straight to get back with 16 with 10:23 to play. A 9-2 run for the Lions cut the deficit to 61-50 with 6:23 on the clock. A three by Jayson Mouzon got the Lions within 10 of the Mustangs, but a pair of free throws for Council shortly after put Monroe back up by 12 with 4:15 to go. The Mustangs turned things around with a 9-1 run of their own, going back up by 18 before holding on for a 14-point victory.
Council finished with a team-high 14 points, adding seven rebounds, seven steals and five assists in another all-around solid game.
Keith Warren Jr. was right behind with 13 points and three assists. Kelton tallied 10 points and six boards off the bench, with two steals as well.
Day 2 of the Monroe College MLK Classic will see four more games played at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Sunday, Jan. 16. The Mustangs will take on Div. II No. 8 SUNY Sullivan at 3 p.m.
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).
