SUFFOLK, Va. – The Monroe College - Bronx men's basketball team concluded its three-game Virginia road trip with a tough loss to Paul D. Camp Community College, 72-67, at Lakeland Gymnasium on Sunday December 17. The Express drop to 8-8 overall and end up going 1-2 on the Virginia road trip. Despite falling in two out of three games over the weekend, there were encouraging signs for the Express. 
 
"Overall, we answered a lot of questions about our character and resilience on this trip," Express Head Coach Chris Neely said. "We competed in unfamiliar environments and that's all you can ask for." 
 
The Express had a great experience in Virginia over the weekend. "Off the court, we enjoyed the hospitality and grew closer to each other which should benefit us in region play," Neely said.
 
Monroe – Bronx showed a lot of heart against Camp as they came back from a 17-point deficit to tie the game on a couple of occasions, including a 64-64 score with 2:05 left to play. However, freshman guard Bobby Johnson nailed a jumper to put Paul D. Camp (7-3) in the lead for good with 1:42 left to play in regulation time. Then, the home team drilled key free throws to extend its lead and clinch the victory.
 
Sophomore forward Abubakar Kromah had a productive game for Monroe with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Rookie center Rene Williams also had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while leading all players with five blocks.
 
Second-year guard Vashaun Wallace had a near double-double for Monroe with nine assists and just as many points, while snatching five boards and forcing two steals. Classmate Derrick Simpson tallied 12 points and six rebounds. Rookie guard Steven McGriff had a solid game with seven points and four boards.
 
The Express got off to a sluggish start, falling behind by a score of 10-1. The Hurricanes eventually built their lead to 17, as Johnson drilled a triple to give the home team a commanding 23-6 hold with 12:11 remaining in the opening half.
 
Monroe – Bronx chipped away at the deficit over the course of the next several minutes. Kromah nailed a 3-point basket that capped off a 17-8 run by the Express that pulled them to within eight, at 31-23, with 3:07 left to go before the break. The Hurricanes extended their lead to 11 on a couple of occasions, but the Express closed out the scoring in the opening half thanks to a layup by sophomore forward Anthony Bannister with 28 seconds left to send Monroe into the intermission trailing by just single digits at 36-27. 
 
After Camp scored the first bucket in the second half, Monroe – Bronx countered with eight straight points, capped off by a successful jump shot by McGriff to narrow Monroe's disadvantage to just three, at 38-35, with 16:10 remaining in regulation time. 
 
Later in the second half, with Monroe down 47-44, McGriff drained a key 3-point basket that tied the game with 11:33 left to go. However, Johnson responded with a triple of his own to put Camp back in front. That began a 10-2 run by the Hurricanes to put them up by a score of 57-49 with 8:16 remaining. Monroe – Bronx eventually fell behind by nine twice, with the second time occurring with 5:07 remaining and the score being 63-54.
 
However, the Express once again showed resiliency by scoring eight unanswered points, in a span of 2:01, to pull to within one. Kromah concluded that run with back-to-back buckets that narrowed the Express' deficit to 63-62 with 2:52 left to play. 
 
After Monroe fell behind by two, Kromah found Williams who converted a layup to tie the game at 64 with 2:05 remaining.
 
However, on the next possession for Camp, Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped the ball into the basket to give the home team a 66-64 edge with 1:42 left. The Express had an opportunity to tie it up again but could not connect on the jumper and the Hurricanes grabbed the rebound.
 
Two sets of successful free throws by Camp, in a span of 38 seconds, inflated its advantage to 70-64 with eight seconds left. The Express would not go down quietly as Wallace nailed a 3-point basket to make it a one-possession game at 70-67 with five seconds left. Monroe fouled Johnson intentionally, hoping he would miss twice and give the Express a chance to tie the game. However, he capitalized on both free throw attempts to make it a two-possession game. Monroe ran out of time and Paul D. Camp went on to win the game, 72-67.
 
Johnson had a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Hurricanes. He also dished out two assists and forced just as many steals.
 
Monroe – Bronx will take a break and then be back in action on Tuesday, January 9 for a Region 15 contest against Queensborough Community College. Tipoff at RFK Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 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 and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).