New Rochelle, NY, February 5, 2021 – After trailing by 15 points at halftime on Saturday afternoon, the Monroe Express men's basketball team was bent on changing their identity when facing adversity as the postseason lurks just a few weeks away. 
 
Freshman Babacar Niang (Harlem, New York) attacked the offensive glass and converted a fadeaway jumper at the horn off of sophomore Issac Johnson's (Bronx, New York) miss to help the Express complete a 17-point second-half comeback in a thrilling victory, 76-74, against Westchester Community College at the Monroe Athletic Complex. The win gives the Express their 17th victory, tying a single-season record, while the loss drops Westchester Community College to 9-8.
 
The Vikings exploded for a 46.9% field-goal percentage (15-for-32) in the first half to build a 42-27 at halftime. Kai Parris's three-pointer stretched the Viking lead to its largest of the day 17, 57-40 at 11:02, but the Express kept chipping away and never let up. Monroe-Bronx roared back over the next 3:19 with a 13-2 run capped off by a Johnson three-point play at 8:23 to cut the lead down to six, 59-53. Camryn Reyes's layup got the Westchester lead back to nine, 65-56 at 6:11, and then the Express unloaded with a 16-6 run to knot the game up at 72 at 1:04 on a Johnson layup off of a steal. 
 
After Westchester Community College couldn't convert on the following possession, freshman Siddiq McNair (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania) converted a layup with 13 seconds left to give the Express their first lead of the game 74-72. The Vikings responded on the next possession with a layin by Nokio Kennedy with six seconds left to even it up at 74. After both teams exchanged timeouts, Johnson drove inside the arc and fired up a leaner trying to draw a foul, but Niang was there with no one around him to provide the follow as time expired, giving the Express an exciting win.
 
The Express continued to get contributions from multiple players as all four starters finished in double-figures, with five scoring in double-digits for the third time this season. Sophomore Jabnel Cordero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) led the scoring charge with his third 20-point scoring effort with a team-high 20 points, 18 of them in the second half, while classmate Johnson contributed 16 points, 11 coming in the second half in his second start of the season. 
 
McNair was instrumental to Monroe-Bronx's second-half comeback coming off the bench to score 14 points, 11 of them in the second half, while also dishing out a game-high five assists and tying for another with three steals. Classmates Niang and Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) also added 11 points and 10 points in the contest.
 
Barnes came into the matchup tied with Gian Batista for the single-season record in assists with 114 and handed out four dimes on the afternoon, becoming the new single-season record holder with 118 assists.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) brought down a team-high nine rebounds and Jaiden Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied for a game-high with three steals.

Monroe-Bronx shot 51.5% from the field (17-for-33) in the second half and 40.9% overall. The Express were able to pick up the victory despite allowing 10 three-pointers and 45.5% from beyond the arc. For the fourth time this season, the Express shot 80% or better from the line posting an 81% free-throw percentage on the afternoon (17-for-21). The Express also outrebounded the Vikings 39-30 and only had 10 turnovers.

Westchester Community College had four players in double-figures led by a game-high 21 points and three assists from Kai Parris, while Thomas Hoffman knocked down a game-high five three-pointers and had 17 points. Nokio Kennedy and Omar Nkonde scored 14 and 10 points in the contest, with Nkonde also hauling down a team-high eight rebounds and swatting a game-best three shots. 
The Express will look to set a new single-season record for victories with 18 against the #1-seed in Region 15 Suffolk County Community College on Tuesday, February 8th at 8 p.m. in Seldon, New York. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Men'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).