WARREN, Mich. – Opening up the season in style! The sixth-ranked Macomb Men's Basketball team opened the lid on the 2023-24 season with an impressive 101-89 victory on Saturday (Nov. 4) over NJCAA Region 12 opponent, Cuyahoga Community College. Down five at the half, the Monarchs made the necessary adjustments to outscore the visiting Triceratops in the second half, 59-42, and earn the win over a team that made the Region 12 Tournament a season ago.

The Triceratops were hot early and shot their way out to a 47-42 halftime lead behind a 53.3% effort from 3-point territory. The five-point halftime lead turned into a 60-50 advantage with 15:01 remaining before the Monarchs answered with an 11-0 run to take their first lead since the early stages of the opening half. The 11-0 run shifted the game's momentum and ignited a 23-5 burst over a six-minute stretch that saw the Monarchs flip a 60-50 deficit into a 73-65 lead.

The turnaround was a product of tightening up defensively and a 60% shooting clip on the offensive end in the second half. In all, the Monarchs outscored the Triceratops by a staggering 62-26 margin and earned a 28-10 advantage in fast break points Saturday afternoon.

Parker Day (Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw Heritage/GVSU) was impressive in his Monarch debut with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Day's 20 points, a team-high, came on an efficient 50% shooting effort while his 12 rebounds marked a game-high. Justin James (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) checked in right behind Day with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added five assists, while Juwan Maxey (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) and Tymias Williams (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) followed with 16 points each.

Maxey sank 6-of-11 shots on the day and dished out four assists and Williams, who shot 8-of-14 from the field, corralled eight rebounds to accompany a game-high four steals in the win.

Kyle Millender (Detroit, Mich./DEPSA) tallied seven points and distributed the ball throughout the contest on his way to recording a game-best and career-high seven assists. Marlon Williams (Benton Harbor, Mich./Benton Harbor) added seven points and five rebounds to round out some of Saturday's leaders.

The Monarchs are back in action next weekend with a pair of tough challenges at Ellsworth Community College's Dale Howard Classic. The sixth-ranked Monarchs take on the host and 17^th ranked Panthers Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT and play Iowa Western Community College the following day at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.

Saturday's victory was also the 800^th win in the storied history of Macomb Men's Basketball. On behalf of Macomb Community College and Macomb Athletics, we would like to thank all the coaches and players who made the 800-win milestone possible. Thank you and congratulations!