NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., February 3, 2018 – Behind Gian Batista's triple-double, the first in program history, Monroe Express men's basketball topped Dutchess Community College, 88-77, to move to 10-12 on the season.
 
Following the Falcons first bucket of the game, the Express jumped out to a 25-9 lead midway through the first half, forcing Dutchess to take a timeout.
 
From there, the teams traded runs, starting with an 8-0 run from the Falcons to cut the deficit to nine, before the Express brought the lead back out to 14.
 
Another run, this time a 9-0 run, cut Monroe's lead once again to single-digits, but the Express outscored Dutchess by four in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 42-33 halftime lead.
 
Monroe led by as much as 17 in the first half, shooting 44.4 percent and 55.6 percent from the three-point line.
 
The Express and Falcons went toe-to-toe to open the second half, with Monroe maintaining their double-digit lead.
 
Dutchess was able to cut the lead down to 11 with just under 12 minutes to play, but the Express responded to extend their lead to 21 with 4:47, their largest lead of the game.
 
A late 9-0 run once again cut the Express' lead down to 11, but Monroe and Dutchess traded buckets the rest of the way, and the Express picked up an 88-77 victory, moving to 12-10 on the season.
Batista led the Express with 21 points, adding 14 rebounds and 10 assists to record the first triple-double in Monroe Express men's basketball history.
 
Louis Florimon added 16 points for the Express, while Jessy Jimenez and Kashawn Middleton also tallied double figures, scoring 12 and 10 points apiece. Middleton also recorded his second double-double of the season, adding 11 rebounds to his stat line.
 
The Express shot 40.9 percent from the floor, while holding Dutchess to 31.6 percent shooting. Monroe also outrebounded the Falcons 65-40.
 
The Express next travel to Valhalla, N.Y. on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. to take on Westchester Community College, looking to wrap up a sweep of their season series against the Vikings.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of Monroe's Bronx campus has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning with their inaugural seasons in the fall of 2017.
 
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).