Mustangs are Champions!

For the second consecutive year, the Monroe Mustangs are Region15 Men’s Division I champions! Monroe defeated ASA 71-67 in a thrilling final on Sunday, February 28 at Sarah Lawrence College. It’s Monroe’s sixth Region title under Coach Jeff Brustad.

Monroe, the #1 seed, advanced to the final after defeating #4 Westchester CC, 74-56 on Saturday.

In Sunday’s final, Monroe jumped out to a 37-25 halftime lead, with center AJ Matthews dominating in the paint through the first half with 15 points on 6/7 shooting,

But ASA made an 11-0 run to start the second half to force a seesaw battle the rest of the way. After a thunderous dunk off a coast-to-coast drive by forward Tyrone Nared with 3:30 left in the game, Monroe's TJ Lindsay hit a couple of big shots down the stretch to ice it for the Mustangs.

Matthews finished with 27 points (his highest point total of the season), 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks to lead Monroe. Lindsay had 15 points and 8 assists, and in his first game back Jeriel Henriquez had 11 points including 3/4 from the arc.

Monroe is now 24-7 and will play in the District 3 tournament at Westchester CC next weekend with the winner getting a trip to the NJCAA DI National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.