Hampton, VA, December 19, 2021 – After going blow for blow with one another through the first 20 minutes, Thomas Nelson Community College exploded for a 23-3 run eight minutes into the second half to knock off Monroe-Bronx, 86-71, on Sunday afternoon in Hampton, Virginia. The loss ends the Express's two-game winning streak dropping their record to 10-4 overall.
 
Five Express players finished the afternoon in double-figures, with sophomore Jabnel Cordero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) leading the way with 17 points and a career-high five three-pointers all in the first half. Classmate Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) posted his team-leading tenth double-double hauling down a game-high 15 rebounds and chipping in with 14 points. Off the bench, Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) and Chad Duke (Brooklyn, New York) both contributed 11 points, while freshman Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) had 10 points. Barnes dished out a game-high tied four assists, and Stone swatted away a game-best two shots.
 
Monroe-Bronx connected on 12 three-pointers and allowed 17 three-pointers, both season highs. Duke drilled three three-pointers, and Stone also nailed two three-pointers.
 
After the Express registered the first five points of the first half – Cordero three-pointer at 18:53 and Barnes Steal and Layup at 17:35 - and Thomas Nelson cut it to one, 5-4 the rest of the stanza was a slugfest that featured seven different lead changes and three ties. Monroe-Bronx recorded the following five points – Cordero three-pointer at 11:42 and Johnson layin at 14:04 – before Thomas Nelson Community College went on a 9-2 run, tying it at 12 on a Jayvon Majette jumper at 12:32 and then grabbing their first lead 14-12 after he converted a layup at 11:56.
 
After both teams traded lead changes on three-pointers by Cordero at 11:42 to make it 15-14 and a Javion Majette trey to make it 17-15 at 11:22, Stone buried a fadeaway off of an Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) miss at 10:27 to knot it up at 17. The Express and Gators exchanged leads again at the charity stripe with Monroe-Bronx going back in front by one, 18-17 after Barnes went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line at 9:55, then the Gators retook at 9:04 19-18 on two Javion Majette free-throws. Stone tied it again at 8:36 at 19 after going 1-of-2 at the line. Miller recorded the following five points for the Express – left baseline drive and layup at 7:55 and three-pointer at 6:45 – to get the Express lead back to five, its largest of the afternoon. The Gators constructed a 9-0 to go back in front by four, 28-24 courtesy of two three-pointers by Kalden Mines at 4:00 and 1:25. Cordero got the deficit down to one twice on two three-pointers, 28-27, with a minute left and 31-30 with 32 seconds left before Michael Cunningham drained a left-corner trey with 25 seconds to give Thomas Nelson Community College a 34-30 halftime advantage.
 
Thomas Nelson took over immediately in the second half, opening up with a 15-0 run and holding Monroe-Bronx scoreless for the first 5:46 to lead 49-30 on a three-pointer by Jalen Harris at 14:54. The Gators stretched their lead to 20 for the first time, 54-31 at 12:02 Kalden Mines three-pointer and got it to its largest mark, 27, 73-46 when William Stegar went 2-for-2 at the line at 5:17. The Express put on a final charge outscoring the Gators 25-13 to get the deficit down to 15, but it wasn't enough as Thomas Nelson would win 86-71.
 
Kalden Mines stepped off the bench to hang a game-high 21 points to lead the Thomas Nelson Community College offense. Three others also finished in double figures, with Javion Majette, Michael Cunningham, and Jaquan Brown all contributing 12 points of their own. Javion Majette also grabbed 12 rebounds, and Audrey Merritt gave out a game-best tied four assists while Cunningham and Brown both snatched a team-best two steals.
 
The Express return to the hardwood in the new year to battle Region 15 opponent Queensborough Community College on Tuesday January 11, at 8 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex. For more information, visit the Monroe Express Men's Basketball Schedule page.

Notables 

• Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) finishes the 2021 portion with a team-high 10 double-doubles with five in his last six games and two during this three-game Virginia road trip. He has also posted a team-high 11 double-digit scoring performances and three 20 point games in 14 games.
• Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) also leads the squad with 11 double-digit rebound games with six straight to end 2021 and is sixth in the country with 12.9 rebounds per game. His 181 total rebounds surpass the 2019-20 season mark of 138 total rebounds by Isiah Ryan to rank fifth-most in school history. 
• Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) is the team leader with 68 assists which is currently sixth-most in a single season and surpassed Kevin Benjamin's mark of 60 assists in 2019-20. He has also distributed four or more assists in 10 out of 14 games and two or more in 13 of 14 contests.
• Jabnel Cordero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) has drained two or more three-pointers in eight of 14 games this year and four straight games to end the 2021 portion of the schedule.
• Off the bench, Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) has finished the 2021 part of the schedule with seven double-figure scoring showings with two during the three-game Virginia road trip, and Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) finished with six double-figure games and three straight on the road trip.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, 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).