NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 2, 2024 – In the team's final contest at the Monroe Athletic Complex this season, the Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team lost a second half lead and dropped a 79-76 final score to region opponent Harcum College. Monroe falls to 22-7 overall with the loss, while Harcum improves to 25-4.
The Mustangs had the crowd going wild from the jump in Saturday's crucial matchup, as they sprinted out to a 13-3 advantage over the Bears with several big-time plays. After going up, 21-11, Harcum made a push to get back into the game, scoring eight straight to get within two. Monroe held off the Bears with an 8-2 run to go back up by eight with 6:54 left in the half.
Harcum was back within six after a Zion Lott three-pointer, but the Mustangs scored the next five points, emphasized by a slam dunk by
Ziare Wells. A jumper by
Jawarie Hamelin with 1:48 on the clock once again made it an eight-point lead for the home team, but Harcum scored three straight on free throws in the final minute. With the buzzer about to sound,
Stefano Faloppa fired off a running three from just beyond the arc, getting it to go to give the Mustangs a 42-34 edge heading into the half.
Wells had a huge first half, totaling 17 points to lead all scorers.
Albert Vargas was next on the team with nine points and a team-high three assists.
The Mustangs scored the first nine points of the second half, pushing their lead to 17 points with 17:19 to play. The Bears then gained some momentum, scratching and clawing all the way back to two points at 57-55 with 10:35 on the clock. The Mustangs held them off for a while, but the Bears managed to take the lead with 7:11 on the clock, going up, 63-61.
The Mustangs jumped back ahead when Faloppa made back-to-back buckets, but a three by Harcum's Nick Jones and then another layup by Jones put the visitors back up by three. With 2:08 to go, a jumper by
Jawarie Hamelin had the Mustangs within one, but the Bears kept the momentum and got some stops to help them take a 79-71 edge with just 17 seconds left.
Zatai Townsend came down the court and quickly hit a three to get within five, and then the Bears took a technical foul on the inbound, allowing Vargas to hit 1-of-2 chances to make it a four-point game. After fouling, the Mustangs caught a break with Harcum missing both shots. They ran down the court, where Hamelin was fouled with about two seconds left on a layup attempt. He made the first to make it a one-possession game, but missed the second, and the Bears were able to get the rebound and call timeout. Harcum tried to launch the ball to the other end of the court with 0.6 to end the game, but the ball went straight out of bounds, giving Monroe one last chance under their own hoop. The Mustangs were unfortunately unable to get a clean inbound, seeing the clock hit zeroes for a three-point defeat.
Wells finished with a team-high 21 points in the game, adding five boards, four assists and four steals to a strong effort. Faloppa completed a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to go with three assists and three steals.
Hassan Washington finished with 12 points and nine boards, while Vargas matched his 12 points with a team-best five assists.
The Mustangs wrap up the regular season this coming Thursday, March 7, with a matchup t East District foe Baltimore City Community College. Thursday's tip is set for 6 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 (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
