New Rochelle, NY – The Monroe University JV men's basketball team suffered a 92-90 overtime loss to Shots with Patience Prep on Tuesday.
Sophomore
Luther Reid Jr. led the Mustangs with 23 points on five made three-pointers, including 17 in the first half. Both sophomores
Clarence Ruffin and
Turone Kelley Jr. came a rebound shy of a double-double as they scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Mustangs made 11 threes on the night and scored 28 points off turnovers. But Shots with Patience hung around enough to come out of the 44-44 halftime intermission with a jolt of energy.
Monroe trailed by two possessions with under a minute remaining. Freshman
Ariel Font scored before another forced turnover gave Ruffin the chance to tie the game at the line. He made both, sending the contest to overtime with the two sides tied at 81.
Both teams traded buckets to start overtime before Shots with Patience went up four with 29 seconds remaining. It seemed like deja vu as Font scored to make it a two-point game and the visitors turned the ball over, leading to Ruffin taking two free throws to tie the game.
This time, however, Ruffin went 1-for-2. While Monroe held the ball down two to potentially send the game to a second overtime, it wouldn't get a shot off in the final seconds.
The loss sends Monroe to 13-12 on the season. It will take on Touro University on Thursday, February 20, at 7:00 pm on the road next.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 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).
