NICEVILLE, Fla., December 3, 2022 – After seeing a late lead diminish late in the second half, the No. 8-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team rebounded in overtime to defeat Pensacola State College, 70-67, on Friday at Raider Arena as part of the Northwest Florida Classic, hosted by Northwest Florida State College. The Mustangs remain unbeaten at 10-0 with the win, while the Pirates fall to 7-4.
The Mustangs took a 36-27 advantage into the halftime break. The lead was 53-43 with just under six minutes to play before the Pirates start to make their big push back into the game. Pensacola State tied the game at 57-57 with roughly 2:30 to play. With 1:10 on the clock,
Ziare Wells scored on a tip-in to put the Mustangs back up by two, but the Pirates scored the equalizer with 39 seconds left. Monroe was unable to score the next time down the court, but managed to stop the Pirates from scoring before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Isac Ahnstrand opened the scoring in the extra period when he drove the lane and put one off the glass for two. The Pirates tied it again a minute later, but Monroe responded with two from
Emmanuel Ogbole to go back up. Ogbole scored again on the next possession to make it a four-point game with under three minutes to go. The Mustangs once again got a stop, allowing
Melvin Council Jr. to drain a jumper and make it a 67-61 contest with 2:15 on the clock.
A pair of free throws got the Pirates back within four, but Ahnstrand then got to the line, making the front end of a 1-and-1 to push the lead back to five. With 38 seconds left, the Pirates scored to make it a three-point game before a timeout was called. With the three-point edge still intact, the Pirates drew a foul on a three-point attempt, giving them a chance to tie from the charity stripe. Harry Santiago missed the first of his three shots, but made the next two to make it a one-point game with just seconds to play.
Jawarie Hamelin got the ball in to Ahnstrand, who was fouled with 3.6 on the clock. The sophomore got it done under pressure, making both of his shots to put the Mustangs back up by three. The Pirates were unable to get a clean shot off on their way back up the court, seeing the Mustangs hang on for the 70-67 victory.
Ogbole and
Tyje Kelton matched with a team-high 16 points in the win. Ogbole saw his five-game double-double streak come to an end, just missing it with nine rebounds in the game. He added three steals and a block, while Kelton dished out three assists. Council totaled 14 points, seven assists, five boards and three steals in an all-around strong night.
Ziare Wells picked up 11 points with three assists in the game. Ahnstrand finished with eight points and four assists. Hamelin did not register a point, but contributed with five assists, three boards and a steal.
The Mustangs will look to keep their streak going on Saturday, Dec. 3, when they take on their hosts, Northwest Florida State, at the Raider Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST.
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).
