Tribunes take two over the weekend

CINCINNATI - The MCC men's basketball team won a pair of tight contests over the weekend, defeating Danville Area Community College and Cincinnati State at the Surge Classic.

The Tribunes improved to 7-2 with the victories. Cincinnati is ranked fourth in NJCAA Division II and had been unbeaten.

Monroe kicked off the tournament with an exciting 83-82 win over Danville on Friday. The Tribunes trailed by three with just over a minute remaining in the game when Anthony Hemingway converted a three-point play to knot the score at 80.

Hemingway then stole the ball and scored on a layup with 38 ticks left to put the Tribs up by two.

Danville tied it on a basket by Glen Burns with 25 seconds remaining. MCC then held for the last shot, and Hemingway was fouled with 7.9 left on the clock. The sophomore hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line, and Danville's last-ditch effort was off the mark to seal the MCC victory.

Hemingway finished with a game-high 25 points to go with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Elijah Tillman registered 12 points, seven boards, and four blocks, and Darwin Trotman added 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Tribunes then rode a stout defense to a 60-57 win over the Surge on Saturday. MCC held Cincinnati State to just 34 percent from the field and had a 40-32 edge in rebounds.

Jayquan Ashley came up big for Monroe, finishing with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Tillman added 13 points off the bench, while Hemingway chipped in with 11. Trotman tallied six points to go along with 10 rebounds.