Rockford, Illinois, March 10, 2022 – The Monroe Express men's basketball team had No. 6 Herkimer Community College was on the ropes the entire contest before a late surge allowed the Generals to come out on top with a 77-68 victory in the NJCAA Men's Basketball Championship Consolation game at Rock Valley College. The Express end the season with a 22-11 record while the Generals improve to 22-5.  

 The 22 victories are a single-season program record for the Express men's basketball program surpassing the mark of 17 set during the 2018-19 season.

The Express had three players register double-digit scoring efforts led by sophomore Onterio Miller (Bronx, New York) who came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points, 12 coming in the second half for his second 20-point output of the season. Classmate Isaiah Stone (Baldwin, New York) put up his seventh straight double-double and team-high 20th of the season, ripping down a game-high 13 rebounds and scoring 13 points. Freshman Jasigha Barnes (Baldwin, New York) dished out a game-high nine assists for the second straight game and scored 11 points, while Stone snatched a team-high two steals.

The Express outrebounded the Generals 49-35 and outscored them in bench points 29-12. Monroe-Bronx also outshot Herkimer C.C. at the charity stripe 77.8% (7-9 F.T.) to 70% (7-10 F.T.). The Express knocked down nine three-pointers for a season-high tied fourth time this season despite giving up 10 threes on the night and 44.8% from the field.

The Express came out aggressive from the opening tip, racing out to an 11-2 lead at 15:00 on a Babacar Niang (Harlem, New York jumper. After a D'Ante Quinlin layup at 14:31 before Monroe-Bronx would increase their lead to double digits for the first time at 12:47, 17-7 on a Jaiden Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) layup. After a Zyeir Lawrence dunk at 9:10 made it 21-14, the Express responded with an 8-2 run, all eight points coming from Miller capped off by a three-pointer at 7:21 to stretch the Express lead to its largest of the day, 13, 29-16.
 
Herkimer Community College roared back with a 12-2 run over the next 4:06 to cut the deficit to two, 31-28 at 3:15 on a Tavon Bates jumper. The Express would finish the period with six of the final ten points as Siddiq McNair (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania) went 1-for-2 from the line to give Monroe-Bronx a 37-32 halftime advantage.
 
The Generals came out firing in a back and forth second half, exploding for a 12-0 run to retake the lead for the first time since the 19:19 mark, 38-37 at 17:30 on a pair of Keyshawn Miller free throws and extended it to a seven-point lead, 44-37 on a Skykell Brown three-pointer at 16:41. The Express scored five straight points to get the game down to 44-42 at 15:33 on a Barnes three-pointer. After a Chris Volo jumper increased the Herkimer lead to four, 46-42 at 14:44, Issac Johnson (Bronx, New York) cut down to two again, 46-44 at 14:13 before the Generals rung up five straight points to make it a six-point game, 51-44 at 13:16 on a Skykell Brown three-pointer.
 
The Express outscored the Generals 18-7 over the next 6:04 to go back in front 59-58 at 8:10 on a Miller three-pointer and extended it to four, 62-58 on another Miller trey at 7:12. Herkimer took control of the game down the stretch outscoring the Express 16-6, tying it twice at 64 and 68 at 5:40 on a Jayden Stephen three-pointer, and when D'Ante Quinlan went 2-for-2 at the line, then taking the lead 71-68 on a D'Ante Quinlan three-pointer at 2:01 and extending it to six with 37 seconds to go to make it 74-68. The Generals would not look back, escaping with a 77-68 victory.
 
Herkimer Community College finished with three players in double figures led by a game-high 21 points from Skykell Brown while Keyshawn Miller and Chris Volo scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Miller also distributed a team-high six assists and snagged a game-best five steals. Volo also turned away a game-high five shots.
 
 
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).