HAGERSTOWN, Md., November 26, 2023 – A pair of career days by
Albert Vargas and
Jawarie Hamelin fueled the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team to its fourth straight victory on Sunday, defeating Hagerstown Community College, 90-77, on the final day of the Jim Brown Memorial Classic. The Mustangs improve to 6-2 overall with the win, while the Hawks fall to 4-4.
Vargas and Hamelin both set new career highs in scoring in Sunday's win. Vargas led all scorers with 26 points, dishing out a team-high six assists to go with four rebounds as well. Hamelin tallied 23 points while accumulating four assists and a pair of steals.
The Mustangs came flying out of the gate to open Sunday's contest, taking an early 23-8 advantage after Hamelin drained a three with 13:43 remaining in the first half. The Hawks then flipped the script, going on a 19-3 run over the next six minutes to jump into the lead, 27-26. The teams went back and forth until Monroe went on an 8-2 run to go up, 36-31, with 3:03 left in the half. The Hawks managed to close the gap at 40-40, but Vargas picked up a four-point play. Hagerstown's Tristan Cook hit a three with 22 seconds left to get within one, but
Bre'Quan Moore hit a jumper just before the buzzer to leave the Mustangs up, 46-43, at the break.
Hamelin hit a three to start the scoring in the second half to put Monroe up by six. After some back-and-forth, the Hawks managed to go ahead again, 60-56, with 13:32 to play. The Mustangs scored the next five to take the lead back, but the two teams continued to trade the lead back-and-forth. The Mustangs were down a point with just under six minutes remaining before scoring nine straight to grab a 79-71 advantage with 3:32 left. The Mustangs continued to control, with a 7-1 run pushing the lead to 86-74 with just 67 seconds on the clock. Hagerstown got a three from Hassan Perkins, but Vargas made both of his free throws to keep the lead in double digits. After a stop,
Ryan Williams Jr. threw down a dunk to put the game away in the final seconds.
Faloppa capped off a strong weekend with 16 points and five rebounds in the win.
Devere Palmer Jr. picked up nine points off the bench with a team-high seven rebounds. Williams also added eight points off the bench. The Mustangs had a heavy 32-17 edge in rebounds in the win, and outscored the Hawks in the paint, 38-20.
The Mustangs get back to work on Saturday, Dec. 2, when they return home to the Monroe Athletic Complex to host Harford Community College. Saturday's tip-off is set for 3 p.m. as the latter half of a doubleheader.
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).
