New Rochelle, N.Y., November 21, 2021 – The raucous crowd at Monroe Athletic Complex stood still as Community College of Rhode Island guard Elizabeth Bruno let a three-pointer go at the horn. The ball rattled off the right rim, and the Monroe Express women's basketball players rushed the floor elated as they held off a late 9-3 run to survive a Sunday afternoon thriller, 48-46, against the Community College of Rhode Island. The victory extends the Express's record-setting start to 6-0 while the Knights dropped their first game of the season, falling to 4-1.  

Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) put up her team-leading second double-double of the season, guiding the Express offensively with game-high 16 points and hauling down a team-high tied 13 rebounds. Crystal Traverso (Bronx, New York) chipped in with 10 points on the afternoon while Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) grabbed a team-best tied 13 rebounds and Hadja Bah (Brooklyn, New York) snatched four steals, also a game-best. Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) and Taina Maldonado (New York, New York) also distributed a team-high three assists each.

Both teams struggled all afternoon in the shooting department, with the Express shooting 26.8% from the field (19-71 FG) and the Knights shooting 26.4% from the field (14-53 FG). CCRI shot 48.3% at the charity stripe, and Monroe-Bronx shot 21.4%, while both teams combined for 59 total turnovers. The Express did control the rebounding advantage 53-46 on the afternoon.

Right from the get-go, the Community College of Rhode Island's energy was high as they scored four of the first six points on the game before Zyane Rowe Ramirez (Brooklyn, New York) gave the Express their first lead, 5-4 on a three-pointer at 8:11. The Knights roared right back with an 11-0 run to build their lead to double digits, 10, 15-5 on an Anayah Melgar at 2:53 mark for the first time on the afternoon. Monroe-Bronx would record five straight points - Shashauna Ballantyne (Brooklyn, New York) and Negron jumpers at 2:29 and 1:27 and Traverso made free-throw with 41 seconds - to cut the deficit to 15-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The Express came back strong in the second quarter, beginning on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 17 at 7:08 on a Traverso made free-throw. After CCRI knocked down a pair of free-throws to retake the lead 19-17 at the 7:08 mark, Traverso drained a three to give Monroe-Bronx a 20-19 advantage at 6:43 before the Knights finished out the second quarter on a 10-4 run to go into halftime leading 29-24.

Monroe-Bronx came out firing in the third quarter, holding Community College of Rhode Island scoreless and scoring all 15 points to get their lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon 10, 39-29 going into the final stanza. The Knights would not go away in the fourth quarter, coming out on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three, 39-36 at 7:22 before the Express rang up six of the following seven points capped off by a Bah three-pointer at 4:02 to extend the lead to eight, 45-37. After a Negron layup at 3:13 got the lead back to eight, 47-39, CCRI would connect on back to back three-pointers to cut the deficit down to two, 47-45 with 2:31 remaining.

The Knights would get within one, 47-46 on a free-throw and squander offensive possessions at 1:15 and four turnovers. After Ramatoulaye Diallo (Brooklyn, New York) knocked down 1-2 FT at the line, Community College of Rhode Island couldn't convert on a fourth-quarter ending three-pointer sealing the 48-46 victory for the Express.  

For Community College of Rhode Island, Elizabeth Bruno led the way for the Knights on offense with a team-high 11 points and dished out a game-high six assists while registering a team-best three steals. Michelle Moreno recorded a double-double, corralling a game-high 14 rebounds and scoring 10 points. Maggie Schwab also scored 10 points, and Ashley Lima snagged 10 rebounds.
 

The Express women's basketball team takes their 6-0 record, the best in program history, into the Thanksgiving break and comes back from it to face UCONN Avery Point for the second time this season on Tuesday, November 30 at 6 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex. For more information, visit the Monroe Express Women's Basketball 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).