Saunders hits Game Winner to help Mustangs stay Undefeated

By: Oliver Griffin

The Montco Mustangs Men's Basketball team has defeated the Middlesex Colts in an overtime game, with a final score of 75-73. The Mustangs improve to 7-0 on the season and keep their undefeated record as the season progresses.

In a matchup that saw both teams enter with undefeated records, the Mustangs rose to the occasion facing Division 2 Middlesex County College at Middlesex's home court. It was a back and forth game early in the first half, as both squads battled on the defensive end. However, Middlesex was able to gain control before the first half ended, and entered halftime with a 38-30 lead over the Mustangs.

Montco went down 12 points early in the second half, but never stopped fighting. With exceptional defensive stops and buckets down the stretch, the Mustangs cut their deficit to just 2 points with under one minute to go in regulation. With the ball in his hands in the clutch, Sophomore Cris Dinolfi came through with a beautiful spin-move into a midrange jumper from the right-elbow to tie the game at 67-67. With the shot-clock unplugged, Middlesex had an opportunity to put the game away, but Baasil Saunders was able to block the go-ahead shot from behind to send the game into overtime.

With two overtime wins on the season to this point, the Mustangs were able to execute against Middlesex in the extra 5-minute period. The Mustangs went back-and-forth with Middlesex throughout overtime until the final seconds, in which Baasil Saunders came up clutch yet again, hitting a tough driving layup over three Middlesex defenders to give the Mustangs the lead. Montco forced a turnover on Middlesex to secure the win and remain undefeated on the season.

Baasil Saunders finished the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, while sophomore Jason Price added 15 points and 5 boards. Off the bench, Cris Dinolfi dropped 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Tune in to the Mustangs' next home matchup at 2 PM on Saturday, December 9 as they take on Rowan College of South Jersey Cumberland (1-5). All Mustang home games are livestreamed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@mustangsathletics2165/streams