NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., November 13, 2018 – The Monroe Express men's basketball team's upset bid of third-ranked Suffolk County Community College fell short on Tuesday at the Monroe Athletic Complex, as the Express fell in their home opener, 70-57. With the loss, the Express drop to 2-2 (1-1 Region XV) on the season.
 
After a back-and-forth first half that included five ties and three lead changes, the Express took a 20-19 lead on Gian Batista's layup with 6:38 remaining in the first half, holding on the rest of the way to take a 32-29 into halftime.
 
Suffolk though, came storming back to open the second half, opening with an 18-4 run to take a 47-38 lead over the Express with just over 14 minutes remaining.
 
The Express scored the next six points to cut the deficit in half with 12:32 remaining, before both teams went scoreless over the next two minutes.
 
The Sharks broke the scoreless stretch with two bucket to extend their lead back out to 10, but a 7-0 Express run made it a three-point game with under eight minutes remaining.
 
However, the Express would get no closer, as the Sharks used a 12-4 run to extend their lead back to double-digits with just over a minute remaining and take home a 70-57 victory.
 
Batista led the Express with 17 points, while Christopher Davis added 11 points and four rebounds. Dashawn Hines led the Express defensively with six rebounds and four assists.
 
The Express are back in action on Thursday, Nov. 15 when they travel to Bayside, N.Y. to take on the Queensborough Community College Tigers at 7:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter (@MonroeExpress) and Instagram (@MonroeExpress).