New Rochelle, N.Y. (December 4, 2021) – The Monroe Express women's basketball team used a stifling defensive effort to jump out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back on the way to a 56-27 victory over Orange County Community College on Saturday afternoon at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Express remain undefeated at 8-0 with the victory while the Colts drop to 1-4 with the loss.

Freshman Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) led the charge for the Express, posting her team-leading third double-double with a game-high 14 points and 10 rebounds and tying a team-best. Spady also snagged a game and career-high nine steals while fellow first-year student Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) tied her team-high with 10 rebounds, and Shashauna Ballantyne (Brooklyn, New York) distributed four assists. Freshmen Crystal Traverso (Bronx, New York) and Taina Maldonado (New York, New York)  joined Ramatoulaye Diallo (Brooklyn, New York) to contribute eight points each, while Diallo registered six steals on defense. 

Monroe-Bronx made it an awful afternoon shooting for the visiting Colts, holding them to 22.4% shooting from the field (11-49 FG), including 1-for-10 in the first quarter and 3-for-32 for the first half. The Express controlled the boards 56-42 and dominated the paint outscoring the Colts 38-16. The Express also scored 22 points off of 41 forced turnovers.

Monroe-Bronx jumped all over Orange County Community College early in the first quarter, holding the Colts to 0-for-5 shooting through the first four minutes to lead 9-0 on Spady jumper at 4:13. After a Maldonado layup with 12 seconds made it 11-2, Mackenzie Ross finally got Orange County Community College on the board at the horn, cutting the deficit to single digits 11-2. However, the Express increased the lead back to double digits, 13-2, on a Spady layup at 9:46 and kept it that way for the rest of the afternoon, going into halftime with a 26-7 advantage and building their lead to its largest mark, 32, 56-24 on Adriana Aybar (Bronx, New York) jumper with 2:19 remaining en route to a 56-27 victory.

Mackenzie Ross led all scorers for Orange County Community College with nine points and snatched a team-high seven steals, while Nevaeh Ramirez brought down a game-high 13 rebounds and scored eight points. Liliana Ramirez gobbled up 11 rebounds of her own while registering six points and three steals. 

The Express women's basketball team will look to remain unbeaten at 8-0 this Tuesday, December 7, against Springfield Technical Community College at 6 p.m. at 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).