NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 28, 2023 – In a very tight matchup at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Saturday, the Monroe College Mustangs JV men's basketball team saw its comeback effort fall a point short, as the Mustangs fell to Harcum, 75-74. The Mustangs fall to 12-6, while the Bears improve to 11-5.
Saturday's matchup got off to a tough start for the Mustangs, as the Bears jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead. Harcum led by 15 points when an Andre Campbell three made it a 23-8 game. The Mustangs began to chip away at the deficit, going on a 9-2 run to make it a 25-17 game.
The Mustangs continued to roll, with an
Xavier Washington three capping off a 7-1 run, making it a three-point game at 34-31 with 3:16 left in the half. After the teams traded baskets,
Jefferson Liranzo drained another three for Monroe, bringing the Mustangs within two points with under a minute to go in the half. Harcum's De'Antwan Randall made 1-of-2 from the line, and then later made a put-back layup with one second left, giving the Bears a 41-36 advantage heading to halftime.
Prince-Malachi Reid provided a spark off the bench in the first half, scoring 13 points to lead the team through 20 minutes.
Ebrihima Dibasey added six points with four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Richie Guillaume provided three points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bears opened up the second half with an 8-4 run to push the lead to nine, but
Davion Bonar hit a three, and then produced a three-point play to cut the deficit back down to three. A jumper by Liranzo got the Mustangs within a point, but the Bears held onto the lead with six straight to take a 55-48 advantage. Just past the midway point of the half,
Jaheim Gregory tallied four straight, and then Guillaume made a layup to make it a 57-56 game with 7:57 to play.
Harcum continued to hold off the Mustangs, bringing the lead back out to five at 63-58 with 5:37 on the clock. The Mustangs later turned things around again with a 8-2 run to finally tie the game up at 70-70. Amadi Lee Kane put Harcum back on top with a jumper, but
Daniel McCollum made a layup to tie it back up. After missing a free throw, the Mustangs got the ball back, allowing McCollum to make another layup and give Monroe its first lead of the game at 74-72 with just 56 seconds on the clock.
Campbell went to the line for Harcum, but made just 1-of-2 to keep the Mustangs on top. Monroe was unable to score, giving the Bears a chance for the last shot. After a miss, Randall cleaned it up for the Bears, making a layup to put the Bears in the lead. Rushing up the court with just five seconds left, the Mustangs were unable to hit, falling to the Bears by one in a great matchup.
Reid led the Mustangs with 15 points in the game. Guillaume finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points to go with 15 rebounds. McCollum also registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. Gregory contributed eight points and eight rebounds.
The Mustangs are on the road tomorrow, Jan. 29, to visit SUNY Sullivan JV in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. Tip-off is set for 2 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).
