CUMBERLAND, Md., March 15, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team was eliminated from the 2024 East District Championship tournament Friday evening after being upset by tournament host Allegany College of Maryland, 96-77, at Bob Kirk Arena. The Mustangs' season comes to an end with a 23-8 overall record, while the Trojans improve to 25-7 and advance to the tournament championship against Harford Community College.
The Mustangs had the early edge on the Trojans, with a three by
Ziare Wells giving Monroe a 12-8 lead five minutes into the game. The lead slipped away a few minutes later with the Trojans going on an 11-0 run to take a 22-14 advantage. Five straight points by Allegany's Jeremiah Mobley had the Trojans up by 11. Late in the first half,
Ryan Williams Jr. drained a three to cut the deficit down to six. Mobley hit a long ball of his own with 1:03 left to make it a nine-point game, and then Tyson Oghene hit one more for the Trojans at the buzzer to leave them up, 43-31, at halftime.
Oghene hit from beyond the arc with 13:45 left in the second half to give the home team a 15-point edge. The responded with six straight points to get back within nine. At the midway point of the half, the Mustangs were back down by 13 before a three by
Albert Vargas gave the Mustangs some momentum back.
Jawarie Hamelin hit from deep to make it a 68-61 score with 8:42 to go.
A layup by Hamelin with 6:22 to play had the Mustangs within striking distance at 73-67.
Zatai Townsend got them closer when he hit 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to make it a five-point difference with 5:51 on the clock. The Trojans scored the next five points to go back up by 10. Wells got Monroe back within single digits with a jumper at the 1:41 mark, but the Trojans held strong, going on to score the next nine points. The double-digit deficit was too much to overcome in the final minute, seeing the Trojans pick up a 96-77 victory and advance in the tournament.
Hamelin's 14 second-half points gave him a team-high 20 on the night, adding three steals, three assists and three rebounds.
Hassan Washington netted 14 points in the game. Wells finished with 11 points and a team-best eight boards. Vargas led the team with five assists to go with his 12 points.
Stefano Faloppa added 10 points and four rebounds.
Monroe's season came to an end with Saturday's defeat. Monroe concludes the year with a 23-8 overall record. 2023-24 marks the 21st straight season the Mustangs finish with 20-plus victories.
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 (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
