NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 16, 2022 –
Melvin Council Jr. scored 18 points in the final 5:30 of Sunday's contest, finishing with 35 points and leading the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team to a late comeback victory over Div. II No. 8 SUNY Sullivan at the MAC as part of the Monroe College MLK Classic. The win improves the Mustangs to 17-5 overall, while Sullivan drops to 11-3.
A close start saw the Generals go up, 8-4, in the first three minutes of Sunday's matchup. The Mustangs responded with seven straight to go up by three, but Sullivan's Jalen Reneau drained a three to tie the game. The Mustangs fell behind, 29-23, but
Tyje Kelton and
Isac Ahnstrand hit back-to-back threes, assisted by each other, to knot things up once again.
Brandon Hodge then hit a jumper from the baseline to put Monroe ahead.
Monroe's 35-32 lead late in the frame was erased on a three by Reneau once again. Reneau hit another the next time down the court for Sullivan, and then Kareem Welch made a layup with 38 seconds left, leaving the Generals on top, 40-35, at the break.
Melvin Council Jr. had a team-high 11 points at the break, adding three steals and three blocked shots. Ahnstrand had a pair of longballs to total six points at the break, while also dishing out three assists. Kelton came off the bench to total seven points and four board across the first 20 minutes.
The Generals came storming out of the gates in the second half, going up, 56-43, on another trey by Reneau with 14:42 to go. The Mustangs then turned the tables after a steal led to a layup by
Keon Gill.
Keith Warren Jr. and
Nikola Danicic then combined for the next eight points of the game to make it a 10-0 Mustang run, cutting the deficit to three points.
Ahnstrand hit another three after a pair of free throws for the Generals to make it a two-point game at 58-56. Sullivan then went on a 10-5 run, going up, 68-61, with 8:48 to go. Sullivan later went up by eight at 74-66, but Council picked up five straight points to make it a three-point game. After a three-point play by Jarell White put Sullivan back up by six, Council hit a pair of free throws to draw back within four.
Jalen Minto followed with a jumper for Sullivan, but Council once again produced five points in a row, making it a one-point game with 3:00 left in regulation. White hit another two for Sullivan, but Kelton responded with two of his own with 1:24 left. Council made a highly contested layup with 39 seconds left to put the Mustangs up by a point, but White cleaned up a miss to put the Generals ahead once again with 32 seconds to go. Council then drew a foul, going to the line with a chance to go back on top. He made both shots, making it an 84-83 lead for the Mustangs with 25.9 on the clock. Sullivan let the time run down, and KeSean Tracey tried to drive the lane, but the Mustangs put enough traffic in front of him to cause a stop. Council grabbed the rebound and got fouled with 0.4 left, making both of his shots to secure Monroe's three-point victory.
Council's 35 points were a new season-high for the Mustangs' leading scorer. He also picked up six rebounds, blocked four shots, made three steals and handed out three assists in the win.
Nikola Danicic finished with a double-double, totaling 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Kelton tallied 11 off the bench to go with five boards. Ahnstrand made four three-pointers in the win, finishing with 14 points and four steals. Warren dished out a team-best five assits to go with eight points and five rebounds.
The Mustangs have a busy week ahead with a pair of region matchups on the docket. They open the week on Tuesday, Jan. 18, against ASA College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. They will then host No. 8-ranked Harcum College at the MAC on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 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).
