THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Monroe College – Bronx men's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory over Community College of Rhode Island, 94-81, at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Thursday, January 11. The Express move over the .500 mark at 9-8 and earn their second victory of the season over the Knights.
 
Sophomore forward Abubakar Kromah had a monster game for the Express with 24 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, shot 8-for-13 from the field (61.5%), while delivering six assists, blocking a shot, and forcing a steal. Classmate Jovan Young led all players with 25 points and forced three steals. Sophomore guard Vashaun Wallace tallied 17 points, a game-best seven assists, and collected four steals.
 
The Express got off to a slow start, falling behind 12-3 just over four minutes into the contest. In a blink of an eye, Monroe rifled off seven consecutive points, capped off by a layup from Young, to pull to within two. After Rhode Island scored the next basket, Young launched a triple that narrowed the Blue and Gold's deficit to 14-13 with 12:27 on the clock. It began a stretch of 14 unanswered points by Monroe – Bronx which changed the trajectory of the contest.
 
On Monroe's next offensive possession, sophomore guard Derrick Simpson hit two out of three free throw attempts which put the Express in front for the first time, 15-14, with 11:53 to go until the break. Monroe never looked back and kept inflating its advantage as Wallace forced a steal and converted a fast-break layup to make it 24-14 with 10:25 to go. Sophomore guard Jaream Eason capped off Monroe's game-altering blitz with a successful free throw attempt to give his team a 25-14 hold with 9:40 remaining until the break. The Express' defense held the Knights scoreless for 3:45 during the rally.
 
Monroe – Bronx 's lead went up to 14 during the opening stanza, but Rhode Island chipped away and closed the gap to just four points with 47 seconds left before the break. However, a successful jump shot by rookie guard Jayden Gamory sparked six straight points for the Express to put them up 46-36. Rookie guard Jayden Upchurch buried a triple at the buzzer for the Knights, so the Express went into the intermission up 46-39. 
 
Rhode Island got to within four during the early stages of the second half, but Monroe cut off the opposition's momentum and built its lead back up to double digits. The key stretch was a 9-1 run that inflated Monroe's cushion to 60-47 with 12:07 to go. The Express went up by as many as 15, with the latest time happening when Young nailed a jumper with 1:45 to go to extend his team's lead to 89-74. The final buzzer went off and Monroe earned the victory, 94-81.
 
For Monroe – Bronx, Eason had a near double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Jevonté Valerie grabbed eight caroms to go along with four points. In his collegiate basketball debut, Gamory had seven points and three steals, while freshman guard Steven McGriff tallied four points and five rebounds.
 
The Express will travel to Borough of Manhattan Community College to take on the Panthers on Tuesday, January 16. Tipoff is set for 7:00 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).