NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 8, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team secured an impressive 10th straight win on Thursday, defeating Baltimore City Community College, 85-67, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe improves to 19-5 overall with the win, while the Panthers drop to 10-11.
Thursday's matchup got off to a tight start, seeing Monroe hold a 7-5 lead over Baltimore City through the first three minutes. The Mustangs then turned up the head with a 13-2 run, taking a 20-7 edge over the Panthers. The Panthers worked their way back a bit with six straight points, but the Mustangs responded with eight straight points to push the lead to 28-13 with 4:31 to play in the half.
Baltimore City got back within nine late in the frame, but a three by
Albert Vargas made it a double-digit lead once again for Monroe.
Devere Palmer Jr. worked through traffic for a layup with eight seconds left to send the game to the half with Monroe on top, 37-23.
Ryan Williams Jr. and
Hassan Washington matched for a team-high eight points apiece in the half. Washington pulled down six rebounds to lead the team. Vargas totaled five points, five boards and six assists.
Zatai Townsend and
Stefano Faloppa each tallied six points across the first 20 minutes.
Monroe opened the second half on a 9-3 run to quickly make it a 20-point game. The game started to unravel a bit after the 14-minute mark, with the Mustangs getting free to throw down five dunks over the next four minutes and eventually take a 67-44 advantage. Baltimore City slowly chipped away at the deficit, but only got as close as 14 points down the stretch in Thursday's contest. Monroe stretched the lead back out to 19 points by the final minute, finishing things off with an 18-point victory.
Washington finished up with a season-high 25 points in the win, adding seven rebounds to an impressive night. Vargas registered a back-door double-double with a career-high 14 assists and 10 rebounds to go with his five points and three steals. Townsend totaled 17 points with three points, three assists and three steals. Faloppa scored 15 points and grabbed seven boards. Williams wrapped up the game with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Monroe shot 59 percent (36-of-61) from the field in the win while holding the Panthers to just 33.3 percent (21-of-63) shooting. The Mustangs nearly doubled-up Baltimore City in rebounds, 46-24. Monroe also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Panthers, 64-12.
The Mustangs are off for the next week before returning to action at the MAC on Thursday, Feb. 15, to take on Lackawanna College in the back half of a women's and men's doubleheader. Thursday's contest is set to begin at 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).
