Twin Falls, ID – The Monroe University men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in the semi-finals of the Battle for the Boot Tournament on Friday night to No. 1 South Plains College, 80-74.
Thirty made free throws weren't enough to dethrone the top ranked team in the country as freshman
Eric Mejia and sophomore
Ryan Williams Jr. each had 12 makes from the charity stripe against the Texans. Mejia finished with a team-high 21, while Williams Jr., along with sophomore
Devere Palmer Jr., chipped in 14 points each.
The game started slow, with neither side capitalizing on the offensive end due to the physical nature of the contest. Both teams came out swinging, but it was the Texans that took an early 15-9 lead near the midway point of the first half.
But Monroe hung around and despite shooting 34.4% from the field in the first half, the Mustangs led at the break, 30-27. Palmer Jr. continued to his efficient start to the season with a 4-for-5 showing in the first half against South Plains.
Out the intermission, however, the Texans rattled off a 13-4 run to take a 40-34 lead. They maintained that lead for a majority of the half, until a highlight reel dunk from Williams Jr. turned the game on its head as Monroe trailed by only four with 6:51 remaining.
Even with momentum on its sides, the Mustangs couldn't curtail the Texans. A 19-17 run to end the game signaled the end of the upset bid for Monroe.
The Mustangs have showed some grit on this road trip to Idaho and they will conclude the Battle for the Boot Tournament in the winner's bracket consolation game against the hosts, the College of Southern Idaho.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University 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.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
