NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., December 2, 2023 – After a back-and-forth game, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team buckled down late and took over in the final minutes to secure an 88-75 victory over Harford Community College on Saturday at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 7-2 overall with their fifth straight win, while the Fighting Owls drop to 6-4.
Ryan Williams Jr. looked to set the tone right from the jump when he threw down an alley-oop from
Stefano Faloppa to open the game. The Fighting Owls were unphased, though, scoring the next five points to jump ahead. After Harford went up, 7-4, the Mustangs scored the next six points to grab an 8-7 lead. Monroe led, 14-11, before Harford hit back-to-back threes to take the lead back. The Mustangs took the lead back on a 6-0 run, going up, 22-19, with 6:54 left in the half.
After a pair of free throws by Harford's Donovan Miller, the Mustangs scored another six straight to take a 28-21 advantage. Monroe later pushed its lead to 13 points with 1:24 on the clock after an 8-0 run. The Fighting Owls hit a pair of threes in the final minute to cut the deficit to seven, but
Ziare Wells hit a jumper from the corner right before the buzzer to leave the Mustangs up, 38-29, heading to the half.
Wells got hot off the bench in the first half, leading the Mustangs with 10 points to go with four rebounds.
Zatai Townsend also provided a spark off the bench with eight points and a pair of steals.
Stefano Faloppa led with five boards and two assists.
Albert Vargas and
Devere Palmer Jr. each had six points in the half.
The Fighting Owls remained hot from three-point range early in the second half, draining four long balls over the first four minutes to cut the deficit down to three. The Fighting Owls got within one before the Mustangs scored the next six to go back up by seven. A pair of free throws by the Fighting Owls made it a five-point game, but the Mustangs scored 6-of-8 to push the lead to 56-47 with 12:35 to play.
Monroe led, 58-50, before the Fighting Owls found a rhythm, scoring 10-of-12 to tie the game up at 60-60.
Hassan Washington then completed a three-point play for the Mustangs, putting them back in the lead. Another pair of foul shots by Washington pushed the lead to five, but the Fighting Owls, got five straight from Chandler Johnson to tie the game.
Jawarie Hamelin drained a three for Monroe, but a technical foul after the play allowed Harford to get a free point. Terry Long then tied the game for the Fighting Owls, and a dunk by Paul Mason put Harford in the lead, 70-68, with 6:47 on the clock.
Wells got to the line for Monroe, but made just 1-of-2 to keep the deficit at one. Faloppa then drew a foul, making both chances to put the Mustangs ahead, 71-70. Hamelin then came sprinting down the court after a stop to lay it in and give Monroe a 73-70 edge with 5:02 remaining. Wells got the ball on a fast break and slammed it down to push Monroe's lead to five, and then Faloppa was able to get to the line and made 1-of-2 to make it a 76-70 game.
After Harford's Jordan Butler made two from the line, the Mustangs found some more momentum, scoring another seven straight to take an 83-72 advantage late in the game. Vargas made a jumper to keep things going, and then later got fouled and made one of his chances to push the lead to 86-72 with just over a minute to play. A put-back dunk by Palmer with just 15 seconds left was the icing on the cake for the Mustangs, as they took an 88-75 edge through the final buzzer.
Five Mustangs reached double figures in the win, with Wells leading the way with 15 points to go with his six rebounds. Hamelin, Vargas and Palmer all had 13 points in the win, with Vargas leading the team with five assists. Williams finished with 10 points in the win. Faloppa just missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds in the game.
Monroe shot 53.3 percent (32-of-60) from the floor in the win and made 75.9 percent (22-of-29) of their free throws. The Mustangs had a significant 43-26 edge in rebounds in the game. Monroe's depth proved valuable, as Monroe's reserves outscored Harford's, 43-19. The Mustangs also dominated points in the paint, 42-18, and took advantage of their offensive rebounds with a 13-2 edge in second-chance points.
The Mustangs have a big trip coming up this week, as they head down to Florida for three games in three days. The long weekend begins on Thursday, Dec. 7, when they visit Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., for a 7 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).
