Garden City, NY, February 15, 2021 – The Monroe Express women's basketball team held off a strong second-half rally to outmuscle Nassau Community College, 58-54 on Tuesday night in Regional action in Garden City, New York. The Express's sixth straight victory improves them to 19-7 (7-0 Region XV) while the Lions fall to 6-5 (4-4 Region XV). 
 
The 19 victories are a single-season record for the Express women's basketball program, and it is also the first time they have finished with an undefeated in Regional play. 

The game was initially scheduled to be played at the Monroe Athletic Complex. However, it was moved early in the morning as the facility served as a shelter for those affected by a devastating fire in New Rochelle the night before.
 
The Express concluded the evening with four players in double-figures, including three of their starters, with sophomore Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York) spearheading the offensive effort with a team-high 14 points. Freshman Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) posted her second double-double of the season and third straight 20 rebound performance with a game-high 20 boards and scoring 12 points. Negron snagged a game-best tied three steals while classmates Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) and Shashauna Ballantyne (Brooklyn, New York) contributed 11 and 10 points on the night, with Spady also dishing out a team-high three assists.
 
Monroe-Bronx dominated the glass outrebounding Nassau Community College 53-27 and outscored them in the paint 26-24.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring five lead changes and three ties. The Express scored the first five points and built an early 11-7 advantage at 3:30 on a Ballantyne layup before Nassau Community College finished the quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 15-13 after one. Monroe-Bronx came out in the second quarter to tie it up twice at 16 and 18 on a Spady three-pointer at 9:26 and Negron jumper at 8:04 before retaking the lead 21-18 at 7:28 on a Kryshana Levy (Bronx, New York) three-pointer. Nassau responded with the following five points tying it at 21 when Gemma Pohalski went 1-of-2 from the line at 6:17 and retaking the lead 23-21 on a Frances Brown jumper at 6:02.
 
The Express scored five of the following seven points to retake the lead by one, 26-25 on a Bryant three at 4:17, then the Lions connected on two treys from Ashley Vigliotti to tie it at 28 and 31 at 2:31 and 1:22. Monroe-Bronx registered the final three points - Ramatoulaye Diallo (Brooklyn, New York) free throw and Ballantyne layup - to take a 34-31 into the halftime break.
 
Monroe-Bronx exploded out of the gate to stretch their lead to its largest of the night 11, 44-34 at 4:36 with a 10-2 run capped off by Negron going 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. The Lions would rally back with six of the final eight points to trim the deficit down to 46-40 going into the final stanza. Nassau used a 10-2 run over the first five and a half minutes of the fourth to go back in front 50-48 on Frances Brown layup at 4:38. The Express constructed a 10-4 run with five points down the stretch coming from the free-throw line to go in front 53-52 at 1:28 when Diallo connected on 1-of-2 and 5-of-7 total to help Monroe-Bronx get the 58-54 victory.  
 
For Nassau Community College, three players finished the game in double figures, with Frances Brown leading the way with a game-high 22 points while grabbing nine rebounds and a team-high tied three steals. Gemma Pohalski and Ashley Vigliotti chipped in with 14 points and 12 points apiece, with Pohalski tying for a team-best in steals alongside Vigliotti with three and another in assists alongside Mia Weinschreider with two.
 
The Express have completed the best regular season in program history and will look to keep it going in the postseason. Monroe-Bronx returns to competition Saturday, February 26, as the top seed in the 2022 Region 15 Tournament to face fourth-seeded rival Bronx Community College at 2 p.m. at the Monroe Athletic Complex. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Women's 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).