New Rochelle, NY, February 27, 2022 – Character. Commitment. Communication. Compete.
 
It's a philosophy that Head Coach Chris Neely looks to instill in his players every time they step on the court. His players put it into action on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Monroe Express men's basketball overcame an early double-digit deficit and fought off multiple body blows from Hostos Community College, grinding out a 54-49 victory for the program's first-ever Region 15 Championship in front of a raucous crowd at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The Express are dancing for the first time in school history, earning an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship next week in Rockford, Illinois. Monroe Bronx improves to 22-9, their best mark in program history with the win, while the Caimans fall to 22-11.
 
Freshman Siddiq McNair (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania) was chosen as the Region 15 Tournament Most Valuable Player after posting back-to-back double-digit scoring performances with a game-high 21 points yesterday and 10 points on the afternoon. He also dished out a team-best three assists and recorded a steal to seal the championship for the Express. 
 
Freshman Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) led all scorers with 12 points and snagged a game-best four steals, while sophomore Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) came off the bench to register his fifth straight double-double and team-best 18th overall, bringing down a game-high 12 rebounds and scoring 11 points. In addition, the Express got major contributions from their bench that scored 30 of their teams 54 points for the second straight game as sophomore Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) also chipped in with nine points on a game-high three three-pointers.
 
Monroe Bronx scored 17 points off of 20 Hostos Community College turnovers and shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe for the second straight game at 85.7% from the line (12-for-14).
 
After knocking top-seed Suffolk County Community College out of the tournament the previous night, Hostos Community College set out to prove it was not a fluke from the opening tip. The Caimans put the Express in a 13 point hole, the largest lead of the day, over five and a half minutes into the first half as a Marquise Paulin layup made it 15-2 at 14:04. Monroe-Bronx cut the deficit down to eight twice, 16-8 and 20-12 at 9:29 and 6:22 on a pair of free throws from Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) and Barnes before Hostos increased the margin back to 10, 22-12 at 5:41 on an Ashaunte Manuel jumper. The Express then constructed a 9-2 run to cut the deficit down to three, 24-21 on a Stone jumper at 2:15 before the Caimans scored five of the following seven points to take a 29-23 advantage into halftime.
 
The second half provided a heartstopping script with nine different lead changes and four ties. The Express looked like a completely different team ringing up the first six points to knot the game up at 29 on a Stone jumper at 18:07. Onias Outlaw's layup at 17:26 gave the Caimans the lead back 31-29, Monroe-Bronx constructed an 8-2 run to grab the lead for the first time 34-31 at 14:07 on a Stone three-pointer and stretch the advantage to four, 37-33 at 11:37 on a trey from Barnes. Hostos recorded four of the next five points to go back in front 40-38 at 9:05 before a Miller three-pointer at 8:31 turned the lead over the Express 41-40. The finale of this one was a true classic, with both teams exchanging the lead six times over the next 6:11 with a pair of Stone free-throws giving the Express the lead for good by one, 48-47 with 2:20 left. Monroe-Bronx scored six of the final eight points to cap off a 9-2 run completing a significant program milestone with a 54-49 victory.
 
For Hostos Community College, Onias Outlaw led all scorers with 11 points, and Ashaunte Manuel contributed 10 points and swatted a game-best tied four shots. Tionne Palmer grabbed eight rebounds, and Marquise Paulin recorded a team-high three steals.
 
The Express will find out their NJCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament opponent this Wednesday, March 2 at 2 p.m. and will suit again on March 9-12 in Rockford, Illinois. For more information, visit the Monroe Express Men's Basketball Schedule page.