THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 10 Monroe College – Bronx women's basketball team was able to hang on to earn a hard-fought victory over NJCAA Division II Orange County Community College, 57-55, at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Saturday, December 2. Monroe now advances to 6-4 for the season, while the Colts drop to 2-4.
 
Monroe jumped out to a 25-point lead in the third quarter, but Orange County rallied and tied the contest with 1:44 left to play in the fourth. However, the Express buckled down and made big plays on both sides of the floor to regain the lead and secure the victory. Freshman guards Jah Gunter and Leanna Morales each sacrificed their bodies to draw charging calls and drained key free throws during the final minute to snatch the victory for the Express
 
"We came out with tremendous energy in the first half," Express Head Coach Damel Ling said. "Defensively, we were really good. We made enough plays in the end to win."
 
Leading the way for the Express was rookie guard Angeleny Cobos who had a team-high 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. She also grabbed three bounds and forced a pair of steals. Classmate Daysiah Smith had a great all-around game with 11 points, seven boards, six assists, and four steals. Second-year forward Kristina Poitier-Wells netted seven points, snatched 10 caroms, and blocked a pair of shots. 
 
Monroe got off to a fast start as a 3-point field goal by Morales gave the Express a 10-2 advantage just over five minutes into the contest. 
 
The Express padded their lead for the majority of the second period as a layup by Smith gave the home team a 12-point cushion with 32 ticks left before the half. Orange was able to score a field goal in the paint with 18 seconds left which resulted in Monroe going into the intermission with a 25-15 benefit. 
 
The Blue and Gold kept inflating its cushion in the third quarter as a layup by freshman forward Da'Mya Cheatham gave her team their largest lead of the afternoon, at 46-21, with 3:17 left. However, the Colts finished the period on a 9-2 run to narrow their disadvantage to 48-30 after 30 minutes of play. 
 
After a pair of free throws by Smith gave the Express a 55-39 advantage with 5:23 left to play in the fourth quarter, it seemed that Monroe had this game in the bag. However, Orange County went on a big run, highlighted by a 3-point field goal and a successful and-one three-point play courtesy of sophomore guard Amiyah Nguyen. The Express' big 55-39 cushion suddenly became a tight 55-53 edge with 2:09 to go. 
 
Monroe had the ball but then committed a turnover and freshman guard Victoria Harrison of Orange County drew a foul. She drained both free throws to tie the game at 55 with 1:44 remaining, thus completing a run of 16 unanswered points in a span of 2:34 by the visiting team. 
 
To make matters worse for Monroe, they committed a turnover to give Orange County a chance to take the lead. That's when the Express began to lock down as the Colts missed a layup and then Gunter grabbed the board for Monroe. Each team had possession but could not score. 
 
The Express ended up with the ball back and then Gunter drew a foul with 30 seconds left. She nailed one of two free throw attempts to give Monroe the lead at 56-55. On the next possession, Gunter collected a steal to give the Express the ball back with the one-point lead with 19 seconds remaining. 
 
The Colts forced a stop and got the ball back. However, Gunter drew a charge to give her team the ball again. The Express could not score on the other end and Orange earned possession of the ball with 12 seconds left and a chance to win the game. However, Morales was able to draw an offensive foul with five seconds left to give the Express the ball up by one. She was then intentionally fouled. Morales was able to hit the first free throw to slightly increase her team's lead to 57-55 with four seconds left.
 
Orange County got the ball back down by two but could not get a shot off and the Express were able to hang on and earn the hard-fought victory, 57-55.
 
For Monroe, rookie guard Tiffany Newsome had a productive game with eight points, four rebounds, and three steals. Freshman guard Tymere Moorer had six boards and three steals. Morales netted seven points and snatched three rebounds. Sophomore guard Kuari Green forced four steals, while rookie guard Davian Myers brought down five boards.
 
For Orange County, Nguyen had 28 points and 10 steals, both game highs, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists. Sophomore forward Liliana Ramirez also had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, while providing a duo of assists. 
 
Monroe will return to Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 5 for a key Region 15 contest against Hostos Community College. The action is scheduled to begin at 6:00 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).