BOLIVIA, N.C., December 16, 2022 – 12 days after its last game down in Florida, the No. 15-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team shook off the rust in its first matchup at the Brunswick Community College Holiday Classic on Friday, defeating host Brunswick, 69-59, to begin a three-game weekend in North Carolina. The Mustangs improve to 11-2 overall with the win, while the Dolphins drop to 5-6.
After
Keith Warren Jr. opened the game with a three, the Dolphins managed to score the next five to jump ahead. Monroe responded with six straight points to go up, 9-5. Brunswick pushed back to make it a one-point game at 16-15, but Monroe then went on an eight-point run to go up by nine with just over four minutes left in the half. The Mustangs went cold offensively for the next three minutes, allowing the Dolphins to get back within three points down the stretch. However,
Melvin Council Jr. drained a three as the buzzer sounded, sending the game to the half with Monroe on top, 27-21.
Council finished the first half with a team-high nine points.
Emmanuel Ogbole pulled down four rebounds to lead the Mustangs through 20 minutes.
Jawarie Hamelin and
Albert Vargas each passed out two assists, with Vargas also coming up with two steals.
Jawarie Hamelin ended a slow start to the second half for both teams with a three-pointer, and then
Tyje Kelton sank a jumper to push Monroe's lead to 32-21 with 17:37 on the clock. Brunswick kept inching closer to the Mustangs, making it a three-point game after a Jahnarious Snell three, but Warren responded with a layup and another three on back-to-back trips down the court to push the lead back out to eight.
A three by Nasiar Blackston with 7:37 to go got the Dolphins back within seven points, but the Mustangs continued to keep their distance from their hosts. Council caught fire late in the game, making threes on three straight possessions to essentially put the game out of reach with a 64-50 lead with 2:49 on the clock. The Mustangs made their free throws down the final stretch of the game to make sure the Dolphins could not get back in the game, holding tight to a 10-point advantage through the final buzzer.
Council's 15 second-half points resulted in a game-high 24, 12 of which came in the final 3:50 of the game as the Mustangs shut the door on the Dolphins. Council added eight boards and three assists in the win. Ogbole finished with 11 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Warren totaled 10 points and a pair of assists in the game, while
Hamdel Mohammed matched his 10 points and added five rebounds. Vargas led the team with five assists on the evening.
The Mustangs do not get much time to rest after Friday's win, getting right back to work on Saturday, Dec. 17, with a matchup against Richard Bland College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 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 (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
