NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 9, 2022 – After a neck-and-neck first half, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team was outplayed in the second frame on Sunday, falling to Div. II No. 15-ranked Cecil College, 91-76, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs drop to 14-5 overall, while the Seahawks improve to 12-1.
The Mustangs looked to be in control early on, jumping out to an 8-0 lead across the first three minutes of the game. The Seahawks turned things around with a 16-5 run, taking a 16-13 advantage midway through the half. The game was as tight as could be for the remainder of the half, with neither team managing to separate by more than five points.
Cecil took that five-point edge on a three by Hassan Corbin with 5:17 to go, but the Mustangs responded with nine straight points to take a 35-31 lead. The lead changed back-and-forth until Monroe went up by four with 52 seconds left. Corbin hit another three with 12 seconds left, but
Melvin Council Jr. came right back down the court and hit a jumper right before the buzzer to hang onto a 45-42 lead heading into the break.
The Seahawks came out of the half on fire, going on a 20-7 run to take a 62-52 lead with 12 minutes left to play. Cecil's lead peaked at 18 points when the Seahawks went up, 74-56, with 7:19 to go. Monroe took some momentum back, scoring 10 straight to get within eight, but the Seahawks continued to make their shots and their chances at the line, hanging on for the 91-76 win.
Council led the way with 21 points for Monroe, adding eight rebounds, six assists and three steals for another strong all-around stat line.
Nikola Danicic tallied 16 points with eight boards.
Isac Ahnstrand went 4-of-5 from three-point range and finished with 14 points in the game.
Keon Gill picked up 11 points off the bench.
The Mustangs will look to get back on track on Thursday, Jan. 13, when they host the Omnia Basketball Academy from Finland at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 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).
