New Rochelle, NY – The Monroe University men's basketball team fell to Division II No. 12 Monroe Community College during Sunday's MLK Classic finale, 82-77.
The Mustangs had a chance to tie the game with the score at 80-77 in the Tribunes's favor, but two missed threes led the game-sealing free throws by the upset-minded visitors.
Sophomores
Jordan Sanders and
Ryan Williams Jr. each scored 20 points in the loss. Sanders bounced back with five three-pointers on the night. Williams Jr. was aggressive all night, leading to a 12-for-16 performance at the charity stripe.
Monroe started slow and entered halftime down 36-34. As they've done all season, a second half resurgence was in store, but Monroe CC hung around and limited the resurgence.
Six consecutive made free throws from Williams Jr. put the Mustangs up three. The two sides traded leads until the 5:09 mark, when a Sanders three was followed by a thunderous dunk from sophomore
Hassan Washington to put Monroe up four.
Out of the timeout, momentum seemed to shift with another dunk by Williams Jr., helping the Mustangs claim a 72-66 lead with 3:37 remaining. But the Tribunes fought back, eventually taking a two-possession lead with under a minute to play.
Freshman
Eric Mejia hit a crucial three-pointer with 25 seconds left, but free throws down the stretch did the Mustangs in as they dropped their first game of the new year.
Monroe will take on Harcum College next in a big matchup against familiar foes. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Saturday, January 25, at the Monroe Athletic Complex.
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).
