NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., January 16, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs JV men's basketball team and Drive Basketball Academy from Finland put on a terrific show for the crowd at the Monroe Athletic Complex Tuesday evening. The game could not be decided until the final seconds, but the Mustangs came through in the end with an 84-82 victory. Monroe improves to 10-8 on the season with the win.
 
Monroe and Drive were neck-and-neck in the opening minutes of Tuesday's contest, seeing Drive go up, 9-7, on a three by Tom Oskar Arro. The Mustangs then swung the momentum fully in their favor with a 12-0 run that put them up by 10. Drive managed to chip away late in the half, getting within two points at 30-28 with 3:14 to play. Monroe went on another run after that, scoring 11-of-12 points to take a 41-29 advantage. After a free throw by Drive's Oliver Rapo, Carey Grace-Joy swished a step-back jumper at the buzzer to leave Monroe up, 43-30, heading into the break.
 
Grace-Joy led all scorers with 14 points at the half. Jordan Sanders was close behind with 11 points to go with three steals and two assists. Turone Kelly pulled down a team-high six rebounds and added four points.
 
The visitors came out of the half firing, scoring the first six points to get within seven, but Grace-Joy put an end to the run with a three from the corner to put Monroe back up by 10. It did not take long for Drive to continue its push, pulling within one at 48-47, but the Mustangs managed to maintain their lead. Monroe bounced right back with a 12-1 run, going right back up by 12 points with 13:56 still left to play.
 
Monroe continued to lead into the back half of the second frame, but Drive made another big push, scoring 14 straight points to jump ahead, 70-67. De'Angelo Owens and Armani Walker halted the run with back-to-back layups to put Monroe back on top, but it was short lived as Elijah Thrash hit a three for Drive. Walker hit a layup to tie it back up, but Benjamin Paul Merchan scored to put the visitors back in the lead. Kelly and Owens scored the next four to give Monroe a 77-75 lead, but Oliver Mitchell tied the game at the free-throw line for Drive with 1:52 remaining.
 
Walker was fouled, making 1-of-2 to make it a 78-77 game with 1:16 left. Kelly then made a layup through a foul to push the lead to three, but was unable to make his free throw. On the next possession for Drive, the visitors managed to give themselves a few chances, with Tom Oskar Arro heaving up a desperate three while getting fouled and getting it to go to tie the game. Arro made the foul shot, putting Drive up by a point with just 15.2 on the clock. The Mustangs ran it up the court, finding Kelly sitting under the rim for an easy layup to take the lead. Jordan Sanders then stole the ball in the backcourt and laid it in with 3.2 seconds left to make it a three-point Mustang lead. Arro was fouled with 0.4 to play. He made the first shot, and missed the second on purpose, but Walker grabbed the rebound to end the game.
 
Kelly finished with a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mustangs in both categories, adding three steals to his strong line for the night. Grace-Joy totaled 20 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals. Sanders scored 15 points to go with six assists, six steals and five boards. Owens contributed 11 points with eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Walker did a bit of everything as well with seven points, five boards, three steals and an assist.
 
The Mustangs are back at it at the MAC this Thursday, Jan. 18, when they host Clark Summit University JV in New Rochelle. Thursday's tip-off is slated for 7 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). Read Full Article