SCRANTON, Pa., February 12, 2022 – After trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team came back to tie late in the second half, and again in the first overtime, to eventually pick up a 103-95 double-overtime victory at Lackawanna College Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs improve to 22-6 overall with the win, while the Falcons drop to 6-15.
The Mustangs held a narrow 42-41 lead after the first half on Saturday, but the Falcons came out flying in the second half, scoring the second frame's first seven points to jump into the lead. The Falcons took a 59-50 advantage with 15:11 to go in regulation, but an 8-0 run by the Mustangs got the visitors back within a point.
Melvin Council Jr. hit a jumper with 9:45 on the clock to tie the game at 63-63, but a tight game turned into an eight-point edge for Lackawanna with 3:34 remaining. Trailing 80-75 with less than a minute left, Council hit a jumper to get within three. The Mustangs then got the stop they needed to have a chance to tie the game.
Keith Warren Jr. came through, hitting a three from the corner with 12 seconds left to knot it up at 80-80. Lackawanna's Ahmir Ellzy was then called for an offensive foul with 0.3 remaining to send the game to overtime.
Nashawn Johnson hit a three right off the bat for Lackawanna, but
Isac Ahnstrand responded with a jumper to stay within one. The Mustangs got a stop, and then
Hamdel Mohammed scored to put Monroe up. Jaylen Davis quickly responded with another three for the Falcons, and then Gabe Springer made a jumper to put the home team up by four with 2:00 on the clock. Warren hit another clutch three for Monroe to get back within a point. With 41 seconds left, Mohammed went to the line, making just the second of two chances to tie the game at 88. Will Johnson then drained a three for the Falcons to give them a three-point lead with eight seconds left.
Lackawanna chose to foul, sending Warren to the line. Warren made the first chance, but missed the second. Springer grabbed the rebound for Lackawanna, but was immediately called for traveling, giving the Mustangs one more chance with 1.0 left. Warren inbounded it to Mohammed, who was able to lay it in as the buzzer sounded, tying the game at 91-91 to send it to a second overtime period.
The Mustangs had the momentum to start the second extra frame, scoring six of the first eight points to take a 97-93 edge with the clock reading 2:25. Will Johnson hit two free throws for the Falcons, but
Tyje Kelton dropped in a layup to maintain the four-point advantage. After a stop, Council was fouled, where he made both chances to make it a six-point game. The Mustangs got another stop, but then turned the ball over. Nashawn Johnson missed a three, and the Mustangs got two from Warren with 27 seconds left to go up, 103-95. Magd Abdelwahab missed one final three-point attempt for the Falcons, and the Mustangs let time expire, picking up a gritty eight-point victory in double overtime.
Council matched a season-high with 35 points in the win, adding 11 rebounds for a double-double, as well as seven assists and six steals in a terrific all-around game. Warren potted 16 points with four assists, while Kelton finished with 15 points and seven boards. Mohammed had 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
David Gordon added 11 points off the bench.
With a bounce-back win now in-hand, the Mustangs will look to turn that into a winning streak when they visit ASA College (NYC) for the final Region 15 matchup of the season on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Brooklyn.
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).
