THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – In a battle of national ranked teams, the No. 14 Monroe College – Bronx women's basketball team fell to No. 7 Community College of Rhode Island, 71-49, at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Thursday, January 11. It's only the second loss by the Express (7-6) against an NJCAA Division III team this season.
 
Monroe – Bronx got off to a good start to the game, as a triple by freshman guard Tiffany Newsome gave the Blue and Gold a 17-11 advantage with 3:35 to go in the opening quarter.  However, the Knights (8-3) scored the next four points to pull to within two.
 
The Express finished the quarter strong as a free throw by freshman forward Da'Mya Cheatham and a layup from freshman guard Daysiah Smith in the closing minute inflated Monroe's lead to 20-15 after 10 minutes of play.
 
The second quarter was a different story as a 3-point field goal by sophomore guard Nysia Oriiz capped off an 11-2 run by the Knights to put them in front, 26-22, with 6:02 to go until the half. Less than two minutes later, Monroe – Bronx grabbed momentum right back as Smith's layup concluded a 5-2 rally that shrunk Monroe's deficit to 28-27 with 4:23 on the clock. Those were the last points scored by the Express for the remainder of the half as the Knights finished with 10 unanswered points to take a 38-27 hold into the intermission.
 
Monroe was not able to generate a consistent run to get within striking distance in the third quarter, but a layup by Smith with 46 seconds left allowed the home team to pull to within single digits, 49-40, which was the score at the end of three periods.
 
The Express managed to get the deficit down to seven on several occasions during the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Monroe, Rhode Island eventually took over by scoring 15 straight points in a span of 5:08 to inflate its advantage to 69-47 with 1:19 to go, which put the game out of reach for Monroe.
 
Leading the way for the Express this evening was Smith who scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists, and forced a steal. Freshman guard Jah Gunter had a solid game with seven points, just as many boards, and five steals. Newsome snatched 11 rebounds, while rookie guard Davian Myers gathered eight caroms and netted four points. 
 
For the Knights, Ortiz had a double-double with 24 points and 10 steals, while grabbing eight rebounds and forcing three steals. Rookie guard Angellisse Melendez generated 17 points, five assists, four steals, and a pair of boards. Sophomore guard Alyissia O'Hagan tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, six steals, and four helpers.
 
Monroe – Bronx will return to Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Sunday, January 14, for a non-region contest against NJCAA Division II Ulster Community College. Tipoff is set for 1:00 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).