NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 8, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs JV men's basketball team took care of business on its home court on Wednesday, defeating Prestige Preparatory Academy, 80-67, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Mustangs improve to 16-6 overall with the win.
The shots were falling for the Mustangs early in Wednesday's contest, with a 9-0 run giving Monroe a 20-9 lead with 12:18 left in the first half. The Mustangs answered nearly every time the Patriots scored, and later scored seven straight after a four-point run for Prestige Prep, pushing the lead to 15 with just over three minutes until the break.
Kofi Mends scored five straight late in the half, but Prestige Prep tallied the final three points on free throws to bring the score to 42-29 in favor of Monroe at the half.
Jaheim Gregory had a big half, leading the Mustangs with 14 points and four steals through 20 minutes.
Ebrihima Dibasey,
Prince-Malachi Reid and Mends all had seven points at halftime, while Mends led the team with six rebounds.
The Patriots were back within 10 early on in the second half, but Reid provided six straight on his own for Monroe to make it a 54-38 game. A
Davion Bonar layup put the Mustangs ahead by 19 points just past the midway points of the second half. Prestige Prep followed that up with an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to 66-56 with 5:52 to play. The Mustangs got the job done from there, preventing the Patriots from getting any closer to win by 13.
Dibasey led the Mustangs with 17 points at the final buzzer, matching Mends team-high eight rebounds. Gregory finished with 16 points, six assists, six boards and five steals. Reid totaled 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Mends added nine points and a pair of blocks. Bonar scored eight points with six assists.
The Mustangs will play their fourth contest against Harcum College JV on Friday, Feb. 10, down in Bryn Mawr, Pa., looking to even the season series with the Bears. Tip-off is set for 6 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).
