New Rochelle, N.Y., January 8, 2021 – The new year began three days earlier than expected for the Monroe Express men's basketball team when they got the opportunity to fill an opening slot in the first game of the Monroe College Classic against nationally ranked No. 15 Cecil College. The Express had a solid showing and provided a stern test early in the first half against the Seahawks but eventually fell 93-59 on Saturday afternoon at Monroe Athletic Complex.
 
Cecil College picks up their ninth consecutive victory improving to 11-1 on the season while the Express drop to 10-5 with the loss.
 
Sophomore Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) came off the bench to lead the Express offense with his fourth straight double-figure scoring performance with a game-high tied 14 points, 10 of them in the first half while hauling down game-best tied seven boards and dishing out three assists, also tying a team-high. Freshman Chad Duke (Brooklyn, New York) contributed 12 points in his first career start while classmate Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) snatched a game-high five steals and distributed a team-best tied three assists. Sophomore Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) fell a point short of a double-figure performance with nine and grabbed six rebounds, while Barnes and Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) scored seven points apiece.
 
Both teams struggled early to gain an offensive rhythm over the first three minutes of the first half combining for ten points with three of Cecil College's five coming at the line - 3-6 FT - and five courtesy of a Johnson layup at 18:50 and a tying three-pointer by Duke at 16:50. After a Hassan Corbin three gave the Seahawks back the lead 8-5 at 16:40, Monroe-Bronx constructed a furious 11-0 run and held Cecil College scoreless for the next 4:10 to build their lead to its largest point eight, 16-8, on a Johnson jumper at 12:38.
 
The Seahawks countered right back with an 11-0 run and kept the Express off the scoreboard for the next 4:24 going back in front 17-16 on a Markee Johnson layup at 8:44 and extending it to three, 19-16 on a Perren Gyan layin at 8:14. Monroe-Bronx recorded the following four points to retake the lead by one, 20-19, on two jumpers by Miller at 8:02 and Duke at 7:39. The next three and a half minutes featured three lead changes and two ties capped off by a Johnson layup to tie it at 26 at the 4:03 mark. The Seahawks would take over down the stretch using a 12-2 run to build their lead to double digits for the first time, 38-28, when Joshua Thomas went 1-for-2 at the line and went into halftime with a 41-32 lead.
 
The Express trimmed the deficit to seven, 41-34, on a Duke jump shot ten seconds into the second half. However, that was a close as they would get as Cecil College dominated the final stanza by a 52-27 margin building their lead to its largest of the game, 34, 93-59 with thirty seconds to go and cruising the rest of the way to victory.
 
Cecil College had three players finish the game in double figures, with Khalid Gates leading the way with a game-best, tied 14 points and a team-high tied six rebounds, while Jacob Valeus drained 11 points and joined teammate Hassan Corbin to bring down a team-best tied six boards. Dominick Carrington handed out a game-high six assists, and Kejaun Frager gobbled up a team-best four steals.
 
The Express will be back at it for their second of a three-game homestand on Tuesday, January 11, against Region 15 opponent Queensborough Community College at 8 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex. For more information, visit the Monroe Express Men's Basketball Schedule page.

Notables 

• Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) posted his seventh double-figure game on the season and has shot 54.8% from the field (17-31 FG) in his last three games. Johnson is also second on the team with 96 rebounds.
• Chad Duke (Brooklyn, New York) put up his second straight double-figure game and fourth season. This season, Duke has also gobbled up two or more steals in three contests.
• Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) grabbed a career-high five steals for the third time this season after completing the same feat on December 4th against Orange County Community College and December 5th against Bryant and Stratton (VA Beach). He also leads the team with 38 steals, the eighth-most in a single season.
• Barnes has also recorded two or more in 14 of 15 contests and currently leads the Express with 71 Assists, tied for the fourth-most in a single season.
• Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) leads the Express on the boards with 187 rebounds, the fifth most in a single season and his 12.5 rebounds per game are ranked sixth in the country.
• Stone ended his six-game streak with double-digit rebounds and still leads the Express with 11 double-digit rebounding performances this season and 10 double-doubles.
• Stone also has scored in double-figures a team-best 11 times on the season.

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).