Monroe Mustangs Men’s Basketball Closes out Weekend with Win over Allegany

HAGERSTOWN, Md., November 25, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs men's basketball team halted a two-game skid on Sunday, defeating Allegany College of Maryland, 75-60, in the Mustangs' final contest at the Jim Brown Classic, hosted by Hagerstown Community College. The Mustangs improve to 5-2 on the year with the win, while the Trojans fall to 3-4. Like their female counterparts, The Mustangs never trailed in their victory on Sunday. It was tight early on, but the Mustangs took an eight-point lead when Ebrima Jassey Demba hit a layup with 12:28 left in the half to make it a 21-13 game. A fast break dunk by Zion Styles later put the Mustangs up, 25-15, with 9:45 on the clock. A free throw by Styles later gave the Mustangs their greatest lead of the half at 15 points with 25 seconds remaining, but a three by Allegany's Brandon Hodge sent the game to the half with a 37-25 score in favor of Monroe. Thomas Binelli and Styles matched for a team-high seven points at the break, while Binelli led the team with six rebounds as well. Jassey Demba added six points, while Will Martinez contributed four points and four rebounds. Monroe's lead never fell below nine points in the second half on Sunday. The Mustangs went back up by 15 with just over 10 minutes left to play at 50-35. The lead reached 17 points when Binelli drained a three with 3:48 to play, giving Monroe a 69-52 advantage. The Mustangs held on from there for a 15-point win. Martinez finished with a team-high 16 points after making 7-of-11 shots from the field. He also paced the Mustangs with four assists. Binelli registered his first double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win. He also led the team with five steals. Jassey Demba finished with 10 points and five boards. The Mustangs will host the Monroe College Invitational at the Monroe Athletic Complex next weekend from Thursday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Dec. 1. Monroe will open against Baltimore City Community College in Thursday's third game. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ABOUT THE ATHLET