NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Monroe College men’s basketball team got back to its winning ways with a 77-68 victory over Hostos Community College in a battle of the two Bronx schools. The Mustangs are 3-1 over their last four contests.
Coach Brustad went with a new starting five in the game, hoping for a recipe for success. Charles Wingate opened the scoring with a three-pointer. The Caymans evened the score with a trifecta, but Wingate responded with another basket to regain the lead for Monroe, 5-3. Hostos would tie the game at 5-5, but a 7-0 Monroe run put them ahead, 12-5. Shackquille Scott made a layup with 16:20 left. Jarron Chapman made a free throw for an 8-5 lead. A Scott tip-in off a missed shot made the score 10-5. He later finished the scoring spree with a layup at 14:57 that made the score 12-5.
Hostos came back and used a 9-2 run to even the score at 14-all. The score would be tied six more times in the half before Monroe pulled ahead at the end of the half. Tied at 34 with 1:07 left, a huge Kemar Campbell dunk made it 36-34. A couple of foul shots from Will Tavares gave Monroe a 38-34 lead in the closing seconds. The score at halftime would be 38-37, Monroe.
Like the first half, the second twenty-minutes saw both sides jockeying for position. With the score tied at 41-41 with 16:27 remaining, the Mustangs went on an 8-0 run to take a 49-41 lead. Dane Williamson opened the run with a bucket. Lukas Landgren added a jumper in the paint. Off a Williamson steal, Wingate finished with a slashing layup. Finally, a couple of free throws from Chapman made the score 49-41 with 11:45 left.
The Caymans fought back again and eventually pulled even for the eighth time in the game, 59-all with 7:07 left. Monroe put the game away with a Hampus Ahlin three-pointer with 1:11 left that made the score 77-66 for Monroe. They won 77-68.
In the win, Scott led the team with 13 points. Felix Carlsson had a dozen and was a perfect, 5-5 from the charity stripe. Ahlin had ten points, none bigger than his late trifecta. Landgren pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and was one point shy of a double-double.
The Monroe College men’s basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, November 24, when they host Union County College. The opening jump is scheduled for 8:00 PM.