Bronx, NY, January 20, 2021 – Dropping back-to-back contests for the first time this season over the weekend at the Monroe College MLK Classic left a bad taste in their mouths of the Monroe Express women's basketball. With first place in the Region on the line, the Express righted the ship with a dominant 63-47 road victory over Hostos Community College on Thursday evening at the Swamp. As a result, Monroe-Bronx snaps their two-game losing streak improving to 12-3 (3-0 Region XV) while Hostos drops to 8-2 (4-2 Region XV).
 
Three Express players had double-digit scoring performances led by a game-high 15 points from sophomore Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) and freshman Crystal Traverso (Bronx, New York). Traverso's mark matched her career-high. Freshman Taina Maldonado (New York, New York) posted the first career double-double with a game-best 14 boards and scoring 12 points, while classmate freshman  Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) brought down 11 rebounds of her own. Bryant also distributed a game-best tied four assists while Spady and Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) swatted a game-high tied three shots each, and Ramatoulaye Diallo (Brooklyn, New York) snagged a game-best three steals.

The Express imposed their will defensively from the opening tip holding the Caimans to 18.2% from the field (4-for-22 FG) and 25% from the field overall (18-for-72 FG) and forced 27 Hostos Community College turnovers and scored 14 points off of them. In addition, the Express dominated the scoring in the paint 30-18 despite being outrebounded by the Caimans 54-44 while recording 10 plus steals and assists for the 12th season with 10 steals and 17 assists, respectively.  
 
After both teams exchanged the lead four times and tied once through the first 6:11 of the first quarter, the Express seized the momentum and never relinquished the lead using a 12-0 run to build their lead up to double-digits for the first time, 10 points (18-8), on a Diallo layup at 2:34. Hostos got the deficit down to single digits at 1:51 on a Myandra Duquesnay layup to make it 18-10, then Shashauna Ballantyne (Brooklyn, New York) nailed a jumper with 52 seconds left, and Ayana Brown went 1-for-2 at the line to cut the Express's lead back down to nine, 20-11 after one.
 
Bryant converted a three-point play seven seconds into the second quarter to stretch the Express lead to its largest of the first half, 12 points (23-11), before the Caimans put together a 7-1 run to trim the deficit down to six, 24-18 at 5:50 on a Dimon Walker layup. Monroe-Bronx registered eight of the final 13 points going into halftime up 32-23.
 
The Express held the Caimans to nine points in the third quarter, scoring them 13-5 through the first seven and a half minutes to increase their lead to 17, 45-28 at 2:46 on a Bryant three-pointer carrying a 46-32 advantage into the final stanza.
 
Monroe-Bronx never looked back in the fourth, increasing their lead to its largest of the night to twice, 19 points (61-42) at 2:59 on a Traverso three-pointer and at the 1:32 mark when she converted on a layup to make it 63-44 en route to the Express's first season sweep of Hostos C.C. in program history.
 
Starr Garcia led Hostos Community College with a team-high 12 points while Savannah Williams hauled down a team-best 12 rebounds and dished out a team-best two assists. Myandra Duquesnay chipped in with 10 rebounds of her own, and Ayanna Brown turned away a game-best tied three shots.
 
The Express women's basketball team heads down to Maryland for a two-game road trip beginning Saturday, January 22 against Howard Community College at 6 p.m. at Dragons Lair Gymnasium. 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).