NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 18, 2023 – The Monroe College Invitational got off to a great start for the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team, as the host Mustangs defeated East District foe Hagerstown Community College, 90-56, Saturday evening at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 3-2 with the win, while the Hawks fall to 3-2.
The Mustangs got the early jump on the Hawks, taking an 8-3 lead thanks to six points by
Zatai Townsend. The Hawks then scored the next five to tie the game. With the score later tied at 17-17,
Albert Vargas scored five straight for Monroe, and a later four-point run by
Jaheim Gregory had Monroe up by six. Monroe later went on a 7-2 stretch to push the lead to 33-24 with 5:35 left in the half. Shortly after, the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run to pull away from the Hawks with a 43-28 advantage, later extending the lead to 17 on a dunk by
Ziare Wells. The Mustangs ended up hanging on to a 15-point lead, 48-33, at the half.
Vargas and Townsend each had nine points at the half for the Mustangs. Wells was right behind them with eight. Vargas stole the ball four times in the first half.
Pedro Szuldman and
Devere Palmer Jr. each had a team-high four rebounds at the break.
Wells opened the second half with a three, but the Hawks scored the next eight points to cut the deficit to 10. The Mustangs then completely flipped the script, rattling off 17 straight points to take a 68-41 edge over the Hawks with 11:56 to play. After the Hawks got two, the Mustangs went right back on their run with another eight straight to make it a 76-43 game. A jumper by
Isiah Middleton followed by a dunk from
Ryan Williams Jr. made it a 35-point lead for Monroe. A 7-0 run for Monroe, capped off by a
Bre'Quan Moore alley-oop from Williams, pushed the lead to 41. The Hawks then scored the final seven points of the game to wrap things up with a 90-56 score in favor of Monroe.
Wells finished with a game-high 18 points in the win, pulling down a team-best six rebounds as well. Townsend finished with 13 points in the game. Vargas and Palmer each contributed nine points, while Palmer matched Wells' six boards.
Stefano Faloppa and Williams each had six points and a team-high four assists.
The Mustangs shot an impressive 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the field in the win, holding the Hawks to 36.8 percent (21-of-57) shooting. The Mustangs outrebounded their guests, 40-33, while the Hawks turned it over 29 times compared to just 17 for Monroe. The Mustangs took advantage of those takeaways with a 34-15 edge in points off turnovers. Monroe also outscored the Hawks in the paint, 50-18, while Monroe's reserves outscored Hagerstown's bench, 42-21.
The Mustangs are back at it once more to close out the Monroe College Invitational tomorrow, Nov. 18, when they take on Allegany College of Maryland. Sunday's matchup is set for a 3 p.m. tip.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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).
