WARREN – 14 ties. 19 lead changes. No lead larger than six points. That was the script for an instant classic on Wednesday (Jan. 15) at the Sports & Expo Center as No. 4 Macomb Men's Basketball emerged victorious, 71-69, over the 14^th ranked Hawks of Henry Ford College.
 
The hard-fought win lifts the Monarchs to 15-1 overall and 2-0 in the early stages of MCCAA Eastern Conference play. The Monarchs now have five ranked wins to their credit and eight victories over teams who have at least spent one week in the rankings this season.
 
The fourth-ranked Monarchs take on their latest ranked opponent Saturday (Jan. 18) when they travel to Flint to take on the No. 25 Bears at 3 p.m.
 
As for Wednesday's thriller, the Monarchs and Hawks put on a gritty display for the packed crowd as neither team was able to extend their lead beyond two possessions. Facing adversity throughout the week entering the game, the Monarchs fought off a sluggish start to take a narrow 35-34 lead into the halftime break. Turnovers played a key role early as the Hawks earned a 17-0 edge in points off turnovers through 20 minutes of play.
 
After regrouping at the break, the Monarchs were able to make key plays down the stretch to fend off the Hawks and earn the 71-69 win.
 
While the game belonged to the hot hand of redshirt sophomore guard Josh Hines and his game-high 32 points (8-13 FG, 13-13 FT), the game-winning bucket came from the other half of the starting backcourt tandem, freshman guard Jalen Jenkins.
 
After a kick out by Marlon Williams, Jenkins stepped into a 3-pointer and delivered with just over a minute to play to extend the Monarchs lead to four, 71-67, and secure the victory.
 
The 32-point effort by Hines marked the third time this season the talented guard has eclipsed the 30-point mark. The incredible effort saw Hines finish one point shy of his career-high 33 set earlier this season on the road against Mid Michigan College.
 
Davion Guity followed Hines in double figures with 12 points, doing so on four 3-pointers. All four of Guity's triples came in big moments, including his fourth and final make from long range with 10:52 to play that gave the Monarchs a one-point advantage.
 
[Marlon] Williams corralled a team-high 12 rebounds while Jotham Nweke finished with eight boards. Jenkins ended the night with nine points and four rebounds.