NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 15, 2023 –
Keith Warren Jr. led a group of five Mustangs in double figures on Sunday, as the No. 12-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team rolled to a 94-72 victory over NJCAA Div. II No. 9 SUNY Sullivan on the final day of the Monroe College MLK Classic at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 19-2 with their ninth straight win, while the Generals fall to 12-4.
Warren totaled 19 points to lead the way for Monroe in Sunday's win, adding a couple steals as well.
Ziare Wells was close behind with 17 points, adding four rebounds, two assists and two takeaways.
Tyje Kelton went 4-of-4 from three-point range en route to a 16-point, six rebounds outing.
Melvin Council Jr. picked up 13 points in the game, while
Hamdel Mohammed joined him with 13, led the team with seven boards, and dished out three assists.
After gaining some early momentum with five straight points to open the game, the Mustangs soon fell behind to the Generals, 6-5. A three by Kelton turned things around, sparking a 9-0 run that put Monroe ahead, 14-6. Kelton later hit another three, followed shortly after by a long ball from Warren that saw the Mustangs double up the Generals, 20-10. The Mustangs continued to build upon their lead, stretching it out to 16 points when Warren hit another three, followed by free throw from
Nikola Danicic, making it a 34-18 game with 7:35 left in the half.
The Mustangs continued drawing fouls in the first half, scoring their next five points via free throw to eventually hold a 39-24 edge. A three-point play by Mohammed had Monroe up, 44-31, but Sullivan scored the next eight to get within five. Mohammed and
Ziare Wells halted the run with a pair of layups, and then two free throws by Warren, and one more by Wells, had Monroe up, 51-39, heading to halftime.
Warren had a big first half with a team-high 14 points. Mohammed and Wells each tallied nine points, with Mohammed leading the team with four rebounds. Kelton added six points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Mustangs slowly built upon their lead early in the second half, countering nearly every Sullivan basket with two of their own to eventually go up by 21 at 71-50 with 12:16 to play. A run of seven straight free throws by the Generals made it a 14-point game, but the Mustangs responded with a 7-2 run to go back up by 19. The Mustangs had a 9-2 run late in the second half to go up by 25 points, eventually holding on for the 22-point win.
The Mustangs will take to the road on Thursday, Jan. 19, when they visit Baltimore City Community College. Tip-off between the Mustangs and Panthers is set for 6 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).
