THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Monroe College – Bronx men's basketball team earned an impressive Region 15 victory over Hostos Community College, 92-83, at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 5. The Express have now won two straight Region 15 contests and bump their regional record to the .500 mark at 3-3 (6-5 overall).
 
Four players from Monroe – Bronx reached double figures in scoring and the team shot 50.7% from the floor overall (36-for-71).
 
Leading the way for the Express was sophomore forward Abubakar Kromah who scored a game-high 29 points, shot 10-for-19 from the field, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists, and forced a trio of steals. Second-year guard Jovan Young provided 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting, registered four assists, and collected a pair of steals. 
 
Sophomore guard Vashaun Wallace had a solid game with 15 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and two assists for Monroe. Freshman guard Steven McGriff came off the bench and generated 15 points, shot 6-for-8 from the floor, forced three steals, and snatched just as many caroms.
 
"Tonight, we competed at a high level and made plays when it counted," Express Men's Basketball Head Coach Chris Neely said. "Once again, we got big contributions from our bench."
 
The Express got off to a fast start, as a pair of free throws by freshman forward Shain Frazier gave the Blue and Gold a 21-15 advantage, 7:17 into the contest. Later in the period, after Hostos (6-5, 3-3 Region 15) pulled to within three, McGriff capitalized on a jumper to extend the Express' advantage to 25-20 with 10:21 remaining in the opening half.
 
The Caimans then went on a run and scored seven unanswered points to take a two-point lead, at 27-25, with 9:15 remaining in the first stanza. McGriff disrupted the opposition's momentum with a triple to put the Blue and Gold back ahead, 28-27. 
 
Monroe found themselves down again, this time by a 32-30 margin. Kromah answered with a layup to even the game. The Caimans countered with five straight points to put Monroe in a 37-32 hole with 6:33 remaining in the half. Once again, Kromah got the Express back on track as he converted a layup while being fouled. He added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play to slice Monroe's deficit to two, at 37-35, with 6:08 remaining.
 
After each team added a basket, Young connected on a jump shot while being hacked. He drained the free throw to complete the three-point opportunity which put the Express in front, 40-39, with 5:12 to go. 
 
After the game was tied, 44-44, the Express finished the opening half on a 9-4 run, capped off by a layup courtesy of Wallace in the closing seconds, to send Monroe into the intermission with a 53-48 hold. 
 
The Express' strong finish to the first half carried over into the second, as back-to-back tip-in layups by freshman center Rene Williams highlighted an 8-0 start to the second stanza by Monroe to give them a commanding 61-48 hold with 17:11 remaining in regulation time.
 
Monroe built its lead to 15 points several times throughout the remainder of the game and had a 13-point cushion with just under five minutes left. However, Hostos got back into the contest by scoring 10 unanswered points in a span of 3:10 to shrink Monroe's lead to just one possession, at 84-81, with 1:49 left to play in regulation time.
 
Monroe answered as Kromah was fouled and sent to the line with 1:25 remaining. He calmly drilled both free throw opportunities to give his team more breathing room. In fact, the Express played strong defense and hit clutch free throws during the closing minute to pull away to a 92-83 victory.
 
For the Express, Williams had eight rebounds, four points, and three blocks. Sophomore guard Jaream Eason added five rebounds and three assists. Frazier tallied four points and just as many boards.
 
Monroe – Bronx will battle NJCAA Division II Rockland Community College, in Suffern, N.Y., on Saturday, December 9. The action at Rockland CC Gymnasium is set to begin at 2:00 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).