Rochester, MN March 9, 2022 – The Monroe Express women's basketball team saw its first-ever NJCAA Division III Basketball Championship appearance end earlier than they wanted on Wednesday. The Express fell short against North Country Community College 58-83 in the tournament's quarterfinals. The loss drops Monroe-Bronx to 21-8 on the season while the Saints move to the semifinals tomorrow, improving to 20-4.
 
The Express had three players finish the afternoon in double figures, led by sophomore Tariah Bryant (Brooklyn, New York), who led all scorers for a second consecutive game with 14 points. Freshman Nyeira Spady (New Rochelle, New York) put up her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Taina Maldonado (New York, New York) chipped in with 11 points. Maldonado led Monroe-Bronx defensively with a game-best six steals while Bryant and Shashauna Ballantyne (Brooklyn, New York) dished out three assists apiece. Ballantyne had eight points, and Maria Negron (Bronx, New York) grasped seven rebounds and scored five points.
 
North Country came into the matchup tied tops in the nation with 197 three-pointers made and made their presence known from beyond the arc knocking down 12 three-pointers, with nine of them coming in the first half. The Saints outrebounded the Express 45-41 while Monroe-Bronx outscored North Country 16-2 in the paint and scored 20 points off of 18 forced turnovers.
 
The Express got off to a quick start scoring the game's first four points before North Country Community College went on an 8-1 run to take their first lead 8-5 at 3:46 on a Lavender Ward three-pointer. Ballantyne connected on a jumper at 3:46 to cut the deficit to one, 8-7, and Negron went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line to tie it at 8. The Saints scored five of the last seven points of the quarter, capped off by a Lavender Ward layup with two seconds left to make it 13-10 after one.
 
North Country Community College got out of the gate quick in the second quarter, going on a 9-2 run in the first two minutes to jump out to a 10-point lead, 22-12 on an Abby Hart three-pointer. After a Spady three-pointer at 7:42 made it 22-15, the Saints exploded for an 11-1 run to build their largest lead of the day, 17, 33-16 at 3:50 on a Shaina Brutus three. Monroe-Bronx would finish the second quarter strong on an 8-0 run capped by a Bryant three-pointer with one second left to make it 33-24 at halftime.
 
The Express came out firing in the second half scoring the first four points on a Bryant three-pointer at 9:49 and a Spady layup at 7:49 to cut the deficit to four, 33-29. North Country responded with an 8-0 run to extend their lead back to double-digits, 12 at 5:46 on a Lavender Ward three-point play to make it 41-29 before the Express punched back with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six, 44-38 after three.
 
Monroe-Bronx cut the deficit down to four, 44-40 at 9:31 on a Maldonado layup to begin the fourth quarter. However, the Express would not get any closer as the Saints mounted an 11-0 run over the next 2:11 to increase their lead back to 11, 51-40 at 7:22 on a Dezhenae Stewart jumper. The Express would outscore the Saints 11-5 over the next four and a half of the fourth quarter, capped off by a Spady jumper at 2:50 to make it 56-51. The Express had two more chances to inch closer, but Bryant could not convert a layup and three-pointer as the Saints trotted to a 58-53 quarterfinal victory.
 
Lavander Ward and Abby Hart spearhead the scoring efforts for North Country Community College with a game-high 17 points apiece, while Ward distributed a game-best nine assists and Ward gobbled up a team-high three steals. Jateria Jackson also brought down a game-best tied 13 rebounds in the game.
 
The Express women's basketball season will look to add to a record-setting season with their 22nd win tomorrow, March 10, against Northland Community and Technical College at 10 a.m. at Rochester Regional Sports Center. For more information, please visit the Monroe Express Women's Basketball 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).