WARREN, Mich. – The home non-conference slate came to a close Friday (Dec. 10) in winning fashion as Macomb Men's Basketball never trailed in a 67-50 victory over Mid Michigan College. The 17-point victory lifted the Monarchs record to 9-1 through the first 10 games of the campaign – the program's best start to a season in over a decade.

Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) was dialed in early and often as the sophomore poured in 13 of the Monarchs' first 25 points of the game Friday evening. Miles connected on his first three triples to help get the Monarchs started, while teammates Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport) and Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott CC) combined for 18 first half points to help give the Blue & White a 41-27 halftime lead over the visiting Lakers (4-5).

Defense was the theme of Friday's latter half as the Monarchs buckled down to hold the Lakers to a 25.8% effort from the floor and an 18.8% clip from 3-point land over the game's final 20 minutes. The stingy defensive effort held the Lakers to a season-low 50 points and marked the third time in 10 games the Monarchs have held an opponent to 51 points or less this season.

The Monarchs attacked the glass throughout Friday's contest to outrebound the Lakers, 52-41. The strong rebounding night led to a 15-8 edge in second chance points and helped the Monarchs get out in transition where they earned a 12-0 advantage over the Lakers.

Jiovanni Miles paced the Monarchs with a team-best 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Miles added five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block in 30 minutes of action to continue his balanced campaign for the Monarchs. Elijah Belle followed with 17 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists, while Jaylen Daughtery posted a season-best 12 points to go along with nine rebounds in the 17-point victory.

Tom McNelis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser) pulled down a career-high eight rebounds (five offensive) and recorded a team-best four steals, and John Ukomadu (Southfield, Mich./Vincennes) blocked a game-high four shots to accompany a stat line that included eight points, six rebounds and two assists as part of a balanced team effort.

The Monarchs are off until Dec. 18 when they travel to nearby Lawrence Tech for a neutral site contest against Eureka JV (IL). Tip-off in Southfield is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.