BRONX, N.Y., November 16, 2021 – After a heartbreaking loss last Thursday, the Monroe Express men's basketball team regrouped and regained their focus in practice before Tuesday evenings matchup against #13 Hostos C.C. Monroe-Bronx carried that momentum onto the hardwood and bounced back with authority, 74-59, over Hostos Community College at Monroe Athletic Complex. Monroe-Bronx improves to 2-1 (1-1 Region XV), with the victory snapping the Caimans two-game winning streak and dropping them to 3-2 (2-2 Region XV) on the season.
"The guys were extremely focused in practice the last couple of days, and facing a ranked team, they continued to keep that focus on the task at hand," said Head Coach Chris Neely. "I am extremely happy with their performance and overall competitiveness this evening."
Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) found his stroke early and often leading the Express with a game and career-high 22 points on the night. Barnes also ringed up a game-best six assists and four steals while sophomore Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) put up his third straight double-double with a game-best 14 rebounds and scored 13 points. Stone joined up with freshman Babacar Niang (Harlem, New York) to both deny a game-high tied two shots in the contest.
The Express locked down Hostos Community College on defense, holding them to 27.9% from the field (16-51 F.G.) while controlling the rebounding margin 57-47. Monroe-Bronx also scored 15 points off of 21 forced turnovers.
Hostos Community College only led Monroe-Bronx on the night for over two and a half minutes of the first half as they extended it to its largest advantage three twice, 5-2 at 18:33 on a Kai Holland three-pointer and 7-4 at 17:29 on two Tionne Palmer free throws. The Express used a 10-2 run to take the lead and extend it to five, 14-9 at 14:37 when Barnes went two for two from the charity stripe before Hostos C.C. scored five consecutive points to tie it up 14-14 on a layup at 12:44. The Express took control and would not look back, outscoring the Caimans 30-9 down the stretch to take a 44-25 advantage into halftime.
Monroe-Bronx never let up in the second half as they stretched their lead to 23, 52-29, the largest of the night at 16:24 on a Niang layup, and cruised the rest of the way en route to a 74-59 victory.
Hostos Community College had three players score in double as Marquise Paulin led the way with a team-high 14 points and 02 Ashaunte Manuel and Joshua Brown had 11 points apiece. Manuel and Tionne Palmer also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds apiece, while Onias Outlaw and Paulin had a team-high three steals apiece.
The Express look to extend their winning streak to two on the road tomorrow, November 18, in downtown Manhattan against Regional opponent BMCC at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Men's Schedule Page.
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).
