BRONX, N.Y. (November 16, 2021) – Head Coach Jeremy Thompson harped to his newly nationally ranked #7 Monroe Express women's basketball team during practice on Monday that it would take a complete team effort from all 14 players on the roster to upset two-time National Champion and powerhouse Hostos Community College. 

On Tuesday night, his squad got the message and executed the masterful game plan of their head coach to notch a program defining victory in dominating fashion, 57-42, over #6 Hostos Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. As a result, the Express are off to their best start in program history at 4-0 (1-0 Region XV) with the victory over a second straight over a Top 10 opponent, while the Caiman's first loss of the season drops them to 2-1 (1-1 Region XV). 

"Tonight was a great team victory, and that is what it is all about," said Thompson. "We played as a team and executed an aggressive defensive gameplan that allowed Hostos to play the pace we wanted, and that's what we did tonight."

Zyane Rowe Ramirez (Brooklyn, New York) and Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) scored in double figures to pace the Express offense dropping 17 points each. Ramirez also dished out a career-high seven assists while first-year students Magnama Traore (Conakry, Guinea) hauled down a game and career-high 18 rebounds, and Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) grabbed 11 rebounds for her team-leading fourth double-digit effort of the season. Spady also was a wrecking ball defensively, snatching a game-high four steals and turning away three shots, also a game-high. 

Newcomer Crystal Traverso (Bronx, New York) also registered a career-best nine rebounds, and Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) came off the bench to help out with a career-high eight rebounds of her own, along with four points and two blocks on the night.

The Express's defense suffocated the Caimans from the opening tip and provided them a dose of their own medicine, which they have used to frustrate opponents this season. Monroe-Bronx held them to 26.6% from the field (16-47 F.G.) and held the Caimans to single digits in the first two quarters. The Express also scored 19 points off of 19 turnovers while controlling the rebounding advantage over the visitors 65-35. The 65 boards are a season-high for the Express, and they also held the edge in the paint 30-24. 

After both teams felt each other out over the first minute and a half of the first quarter, Traore rang up four of the first six points off two offensive rebounds to make it 2-0 at 8:42 and 4-2 with 7:12 to go. Hostos answered with a 6-0 run finished off by a Garcia Starr free-throw at 4:49 to extend their lead to four, the largest of the night, 8-4. The Express took the wheel from there using a 10-1 run to close out the first stanza with a 14-9 lead. 

Express kept that momentum motoring along during the first three and a half minutes of the second quarter using a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 12, 21-9 on a three-pointer by Hadja Bah (Brooklyn, New York) at 6:10. However, the Caimans would close out the second quarter strong, putting together an 8-2 run to trim down the Express advantage at halftime to six, 23-17, on Dimon Walker fast-break layup off a steal with three seconds remaining.

Hostos would not go away in the third quarter, opening up on an 8-0 run to tie the game for a second time at 25 on an Adria Powell layup at the 6:20 mark. The Express responded with a 9-0 run of their own capped off by a Ramirez fast-break layup at 3:47 to increase the margin back to nine, 34-25. The Caimans cut the deficit back down to five, 37-32, finishing with seven of the final 10 points to end the third quarter. Hostos outscored Monroe-Bronx 15-14 in the third.

The Caimans made one more push early in the fourth quarter on an Adria Powell lay up at 9:23 before the Express took over from there on out with a 13-0 run while holding the visitors scoreless for over four and a half minutes to extend their lead to the largest of the evening, 16, 50-34 on a Bryant jumper. Monroe-Bronx coasted the rest of the way en route to the biggest victory in the program's four-year history 57-42.

For Hostos Community College, freshman Dimon Walker drained a team-high 11 points, and classmate Starr Garcia chipped in with 10 points of her own. Shania Lewis also corralled a team-high eight rebounds, and Walker, Garcia, and Savannah Williams all distributed a team-best three assists. Walker also distributed a team-high three assists. Garcia also recorded a team-best three steals.

The Express looks to continue their program-record start and stay unscathed on the road tomorrow, November 16, against Borough of Manhattan Community College at 5:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Women's Schedule Page.

Notables -

• The Express have made opposing shooting efforts a nightmare holding their first four opponents to under 30% from the field in the first four games.
• Monroe-Bronx also has forced 20 or more turnovers in three of their four contests this season.
• Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) has finished in double figures in all four games, which is tops on the team, while Zyane Rowe Ramirez (Brooklyn, New York) has three double-figure games this year, which is good for second.
• Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) has three double-digit rebound performances this season which is tops on the team.
• The 65 rebounds are the first 60 plus rebound performance for Monroe-Bronx since December 14, 2019, against Rockland Community College..

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports program, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 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).