New Rochelle, N.Y., November 30, 2021 – The Monroe Express Men's Basketball squad was presented with a stern test on Tuesday evening after returning from Thanksgiving break and answered the challenge gutting out a hard-fought 67-57 victory over Suffolk County Community College, 67-57, at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Express's fourth straight victory improves their record 5-1 (4-1 Region XV) while Suffolk C.C. drops their first contest of the year, falling to 4-1 (3-1 Region XV).

Sophomore Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) made his presence felt from the opening tip leading the Express offense and defense in five different categories on the night, posting a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season. Stone also dished out a game-best six assists while corralling two steals and swatting away two shots, also a team-best on defense. Classmates Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) and Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) chipped in with eight and seven points, while freshmen Siddiq McNair (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania) had six points and Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) had five points and distributed five assists. 

During a competitive hardwood battle that featured 15 different lead changes and 11 ties, Monroe-Bronx had a slight advantage on the boards 40-35 and in the paint 34-32. 

Suffolk County Community College came out swinging over the first three and a half minutes of the first half, building their lead up to seven, 11-4, the largest of the night at 16:21 on an Alvin Knight three-pointer. Monroe-Bronx responded with back-to-back buckets on a layup from Babacar Niang (Harlem, New York) at 15:10 and jumper by Jabnel Cordero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) at 13:22 to cut the deficit down to three, 11-8. After the Sharks increased the lead back to seven, 15-8 on a Julius Goddard layup at 11:58, the Express ripped off a 12-3 run over the next three and a half minutes, tying it at 18 on a McNair layup at 9:13 and grabbing their first lead of the night, 20-18 on two free throws from Stone at the 8:01 mark. 

The final eight minutes of the first half were a slugfest with five ties and three different lead changes. After an Alvin Knight free throw at 5:46 gave the Sharks the lead back 22-20, the Express recorded the following five points, tying it at 22 on a Johnson jumper at 4:04 and retaking the lead 25-22 on a Stone three-pointer at 3:11. Suffolk C.C. followed a similar script to retake the lead by grabbing the next five points three from Joshua Blair – layup and 1-for-2 at the line – to tie it at 25 at 2:13 and two more free throws from Aaron Cuascut at 1:30 to give the Sharks back the lead 27-25. 

Jeffery Douby's (Baldwin, New York) layup tied it up for a fourth time at 27 off a beautiful feed from Stone at 1:16, then Aaron Cuascut went 2-for-2 at the line to put the Sharks in front 29-27 with 42 seconds to go, and Miller tied it up for a fifth time at 29 five seconds later on a floater. After two Alvin Knight free-throws put Suffolk back in front 31-29, Chad Duke (Brooklyn, New York) buried a three-pointer at the horn with a hand in his face to give the Express a one-point advantage at halftime 32-31.

The back and forth between the two squads followed them into the locker room and back out onto the court in the second half with nine different lead changes and two ties and neither team leading by more than three points for the first eight and a half minutes. After a Julius Goddard layup gave the Sharks the lead 51-50 at 8:31, the Express took control down the stretch outscoring the visitors 18-7 and increasing their lead to its largest of the night and into double-digits for the first time at 10, 67-57 on a McNair layup with 41 seconds remaining. That result didn't change as the horn sounded, giving Monroe-Bronx a critical 67-57 victory in Regional action.

Suffolk County Community College had three players in double-figures as Julius Goddard recorded a double-double with a team-best 21 points and 12 rebounds. Goddard also denied a game-high tied two shots on the night while Alvin Knight scored 16 points and Aaron Causcut rang up 12 points. Knight also tied for a team-best alongside Jordan Manderson with three assists while swiping a team-high two steals.

Monroe-Bronx will take their season-high four-game winning streak into their toughest regular-season test on the road, Thursday, December 8 at 8 p.m. against nationally-ranked #2 Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Men'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).