NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 15, 2022 – After a slow start to Tuesday night's matchup, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team had a dominant final 30 minutes, defeating Harford Community College, 81-46, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 4-0 to start the season with the win, while the Fighting Owls fall to 2-3.
A back-and-forth start to Tuesday's contest saw the Fighting Owls hold a narrow 16-14 lead midway through the opening half. The Mustangs then turned up the heat with 18 straight points, going up, 32-16, on the Fighting Owls. After Harford got two, the Mustangs stayed hot, scoring another 12 straight to take a commanding 44-18 advantage over their guests.
Maseo Carson made 1-of-2 free throws for Harford with 1:10 left to momentarily halt the run, but the Mustangs picked up the final five points of the half, including a buzzer-beating three by Isac Ahnstrand to make it a 49-19 lead heading into the break. The Mustangs outscored the Fighting Owls, 35-3, over the final 9:34 of the opening period.
Melvin Council Jr. and Ziare Wells led the Mustangs with nine points apiece in the opening half, with Council also leading the team with three assists and two steals. Zatai Townsend added eight points, while Nikola Danicic and Stefano Faloppa matched for a team-high four rebounds through 20 minutes.
After a close start to the second frame, the Mustangs once again stole all the momentum nearly midway through the half. A dunk by Danicic sparked an 11-0 run for the Mustangs, which was capped off by back-to-back slams by Wells and Townsend, putting Monroe up by 40 at 72-32 with 8:51 to play. The teams traded points for much of the remaining time, leading to Monroe winning by 35 points.
The Mustangs spread the ball around in Tuesday's win. Wells finished with a team-high 13 points in the game, while Emmanuel Ogbole tallied 12 to go with five rebounds. Council totaled 11 points with four assists, and Townsend finished with 10 points, three boards and three assists. Danicic and Jawarie Hameline each had six rebounds in the game, with Danicic also scoring eight points.
The Mustangs shot 32-of-60 (53.3 percent) from the field in Tuesday's win, while holding Harford to just 30.2 percent (16-of-53) in the game. They outrebounded their guests, 42-25, and dominated the paint with 40 points to just 14 for the Fighting Owls from in-close. The Mustangs capitalized on their takeaways with 24 points off turnovers, while the Fighting Owls turned Monroe's turnovers into just five points.
The Mustangs are now set to host the Monroe College Invitational this weekend at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The six-team, three-day tournament begins with a doubleheader on Thursday, Nov. 17. No. 13-ranked Eastern Florida State College takes on Brunswick Community College at 5 p.m., followed by the Mustangs going head-to-head with East District foe Hagerstown Community College 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 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 11 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 (
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