OLNEY, Ill., November 9, 2023 – After falling behind by as many as 18 points in the first half, the No. 25-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team nearly closed the gap in the second half, but the Mustangs fell just short in their efforts, dropping a 77-73 final score at Olney Central College Thursday evening. The Mustangs drop to 1-1 with the loss, while the Blue Knights improve to 3-0.
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick lead in Thursday's game, scoring nine straight points after the Blue Knights got on the board first to take a 9-2 edge. The home team eventually took over at 14-13, slowly turning that into a 25-15 advantage over the Mustangs. Olney pushed its lead to 42-24 with 2:38 left in the first half, but the Mustangs scored the final six points of the frame to go into the locker room down by 12.
The Blue Knights opened the second half with a 6-2 run to go back up by 16. That was when the Mustangs began to make their push, going on a 10-1 stretch to drop the deficit to 49-42. The Blue Knights pushed their lead back to 12, but seven straight points for Monroe made it a five-point game. After a layup by Olney's Arda Duraklar,
Jawarie Hamelin drained a three to get within four. The Blue Knights got a couple free throws, but another three by
Albert Vargas brought the Mustangs within three. Hamelin then got to the line and made both shots, making it a one-point game with 9:24 to play.
Duraklar hit a jumper to put Olney back up by three. After more than two minutes without a basket on either end, Vargas sank a layup, and then
Stefano Faloppa sank a jumper to give the Mustangs their first lead since early in the game. The teams traded buckets until the Blue Knights were back on top, 69-68, with 3:28 remaining.
Ja'vaughn Jones got to the line and made both shots for Olney to go up by three. Another 80 seconds went by without a score before Delshawn Simms hit a three for the home team to make it a six-point game.
Devere Palmer Jr. hit a layup to get the Mustangs back within two. The Mustangs forced a turnover, but were unable to score. After another stop, the Mustangs ran down the court and got the ball to Vargas, who drilled an off-balance three to make it a one-point game. The Mustangs were forced to foul, but Darien Lewis made both of his shots to make it a three-point game once again. The Blue Knights then fouled the Mustangs to force them to the line, but the first shot of a one-and-one did not go and the home team grabbed the rebound. The Blue Knights made one more free throw, and there was not enough time left for the Mustangs to make a play.
Vargas led the Mustangs with 20 points in the game, also pulling in a team-high four steals. Hamelin was right behind him with 19 points and led the team with three assists.
Ziare Wells totaled eight points and a team-best seven boards, while
Hassan Washington matched his seven rebounds and added seven points.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back in a big way on Friday, Nov. 10, when they begin play in the 2023 McDonald's Classic, hosted by Vincennes University in Vincennes, Ind. Friday's matchup will see the Mustangs take on No. 4 John A. Logan College, the defending NJCAA Champions, in a rematch of the second round of last year's NJCAA Championship tournament. The Mustangs and Volunteers are set to tip off at 5 p.m.
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).
