North Branch, NJ, January 27, 2021 – After rallying to knot the game up at 25, the Monroe Express women's basketball team's second-half struggles caught up to them again as Raritan Valley Community College outscored them 46-31 overall to pull away with a 71-56 victory on Thursday evening in North Branch, New Jersey. The Express's third straight loss drops them to 13-6 overall while the Lions improve to 9-11.
 
Four Express players scored in double-figures, and two posted double-doubles. Sophomore Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) and freshman Crystal Traverso (Bronx, New York) dropped a team-high 15 points while Bryant hauled down a career-high 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career. Freshman Taina Maldonado (New York, New York) also recorded back-to-back double-figure performances putting up career-highs in field goals made (5) and attempted (21) for a total of 12 points. Fellow freshman Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) recorded her second straight and team-best seventh double-double bringing down a team-high 14 boards and scoring 10 points. Bryant also led the defensive effort with a game-high six steals and tied a team-best in assists with Traverso and Maldonado with three. 
 
Monroe-Bronx forced 35 turnovers and scored 28 points off of them. However, the Express were outscored in the paint 32-20 and outshot 45.5% from the field to 26.3% from the field.

RVCC scored the game's first four points, and then the Express netted the next five to lead by one, 5-4 at 7:08 when Bryant converted a fastbreak layup off of a steal. However, The Lions would take control of the period after utilizing a 10-2 run - the final three points coming from Brie Opdyke on a layup and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line - to increase the margin to seven, 14-7 at 4:15. After Monroe-Bronx responded with the following four points to cut the deficit down to three, 14-11 on a Bryant fastbreak layup off of a Spady block at 2:22, RVCC increased their lead to six, 17-11 after one on a Micaela Etlinger three-pointer off of a backcourt steal from Brie Opdyke.
 
The Express responded with a solid second-quarter effort cutting the deficit to two twice, 17-15 at 8:41 on a Maldonado steal and fastbreak layup and 20-18 at 7:52 on a Traverso three. After a Micaela Etlinger floater pushed the Raritan Valley Community College lead back to four, 22-18 at 6:57, the Express used a 7-3 run - 5 points coming from Traverso (3PT + FG) - to take the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter by one, 23-22 at 4:37 and tie it at 25 at 1:07 going into the halftime break.
 
The Express struggled offensively again in the second half for the second consecutive game as the Lions outscored the Express 27-11 in the period. Raritan Valley Community College came out firing on a 12-3 run to stretch the lead to nine, 37-28 at 5:30 on Allison Seater putback. Monroe-Bronx would respond with the following four points to cut the deficit to five, 37-32 on a Spady jumper from the right elbow at 4:02 before the Lions roared back to close out the period with a 15-4 run capped off by a Le'Ana Brown three-pointer with six seconds left extending the lead to 16, 52-36 close out the third.
 
The Express has been accustomed to making fourth-quarter rallies this season and outscored Raritan Valley Community College 20-19 in the final quarter but could only get the margin down to eight twice, 61-53 at 4:07 on a Bryant pull up jumper and 64-56 at 2:37 on a Maldonado three-pointer. However, the Lions scored the remaining seven points to pull away for the 71-56 victory.  
 
Raritan Valley Community College also had four players in double-figures with two 20 point performances led by Brie Opdyke, who put up a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 17 rebounds, along with a game-best four assists. Le'Ana Brown also drained 22 points while Micaela Etlinger and Judith Girones Gonza chipped in with 12 points and 10 points while Girones Gonza and Allison Seater tied for a team-best in steals with two each.
 
The Express women's basketball team will look to end their season-high three-game skid on Sunday, January 30 at 5 p.m. in an intercampus battle against the Monroe Mustangs at 3 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Saturday matinee was moved due to inclement weather and 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).