DETROIT, Mich. – The 11^th ranked Macomb Men's Basketball team clinched a spot in one of the upcoming NJCAA Region XII Great Lakes District Tournaments with a 79-49 victory at Wayne County Saturday (Feb. 25). The win, paired with a loss by St. Clair County Community College, also clinches a first round home game in the region tournament on March 7.

The 30-point road triumph also marked the second time in as many seasons the Monarchs have won at least 20 games under the direction of second-year head coach Hassan Nizam. The Monarchs sit at 20-7 overall and 8-4 in the MCCAA Eastern Conference.

After a back-and-forth start, the Monarchs imposed their will with a 24-9 run to close the first half to earn a 14-point lead at the break, 36-22. The momentum carried over into the second half as the Monarchs shifted into cruise control and led by as many as 35 points in the 79-49 rout.

The Monarchs' defense sped up the hosts throughout and held the Wildcats to 29% shooting (24% from 3-point land). Offensively, the Monarchs shot 52.5% for the game, including a 58.6% mark in the second half. The well-rounded effort led to a 35-15 advantage in bench scoring and a 38-18 edge in points in the paint.

Juwan Maxey (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) continued his strong play and paced the Monarchs with a career-high 20 points on a career-best six makes from 3-point territory. Kareem Aburashed (West Bloomfield, Mich./Country Day) followed Maxey in double figures with 15 points. The freshman forward added six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes of work.

Tamario Adley (Detroit, Mich./De La Salle) posted nine points, six assists and five rebounds in his first game as a Wayne State University commit and Aidan Rubio (Flint, Mich./Goodrich/DME Academy) recorded nine points, four rebounds and a pair of steals in limited action.

Tymias Williams (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) led all players with a career-high seven assists while pulling down eight rebounds and adding six points and Jaylen Daughtery (Oak Park, Mich./Ferndale) hauled in a game-high nine rebounds to go along with six points, three assists a block and a steal. Justin James (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) tallied six points in eight minutes and Linden Holder (Warren, Mich./De La Salle) posted five points and three assists to round out the leaders in Detroit Saturday afternoon.

The Monarchs host Jackson College Tuesday (Feb. 28) at 7:30 p.m. The game will be the regular season home finale and will also mark Sophomore Night as the coaching staff honors the careers of their sophomores with a pregame ceremony.