Tribunes pull away, top Cecil

ROCHESTER - A key 10-0 run midway through the second half turned a deficit into a lead for the MCC men's basketball team on Saturday, and the Tribunes never looked back in an 82-69 win over Cecil College at the fifth annual Murph Shapiro Classic.

The Tribunes (2-1) trailed 49-44 with 12:30 remaining before scoring the next 10 to take a 54-49 lead. Monroe then slowly built and maintained the lead from there on out to get the win. MCC takes on Mohawk Valley Community College at 4 p.m. Sunday to close out the weekend.

Jayquan Smith drilled a 3 to start the run before Michael Gibson hit a layup to tie it at 49. Mike Kelly Jr. and Gibson then had back-to-back buckets before a free throw from Rob Brown put Monroe up by five with 8:27 remaining.

The Tribunes kept the lead at double digits down the stretch before the Seahawks responded to cut it to eight. But Gilberto Cue then hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night, and Brien Wilson followed with a thunderous two-hand slam to restore a 13-point advantage with just over a minute left.

Cue finished with a game-high 25 for Monroe. Kelly added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Kewan Platt chipped in with 12. Wilson had a monster night in the paint. The 6-foot-9 center finished with six points, 10 rebounds, and nine blocks.