BROCKTON, Mass. – The nationally ranked No. 8 Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team earned a thrilling come-from-behind victory over host-Massasoit Community College, 66-63, in the consolation game of the Northeast JUCO Cup Tournament on Monday afternoon. The contest took place at Massasoit Gym.
Thanks to her strong play over the last three games, Express (3-2) freshman guard
Beverly Williams was named to the Northeast JUCO Cup All-Tournament team. She helped lead the Express to victory on Monday by scoring a game-high 24 points, on 10-for-17 shooting from the field, while also forcing five steals, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists.
"We put a stronger effort in towards the end and became a team,"
Beverly Williams said. "We always bounce back no matter what. We're a family."
With the game tied at 63 with 1:16 left in regulation, sophomore forward
Da'Mya Cheatham threw the ball from the top of the key to classmate
Jah Gunter who converted the tie-breaking layup to give the Blue and Gold a 65-63 edge.
The Warriors (2-3) had a few chances to either tie or win the game, including a potential game-winning triple with five seconds left, but the Express' strong defense prevented those scenarios from happening.
Beverly Williams hit a key insurance free throw with 0.8 seconds left to extend Monroe's lead to three. Massasoit could not get a shot off from the inbound pass and the Express went on to clinch the win and the third-place finish in the Northeast JUCO Cup Tournament.
It was a valiant comeback for the Express who trailed by seven after 20 minutes of play.
"We had a great sense of pride and energy in the second half," Express Head Women's Basketball Coach
Damel Ling said. "
Beverly Williams stepped to the forefront and helped lead us on both ends of the floor."
In the late stages of the opening half, Cheatham took a feed from freshman guard
Amira McCleod and converted a layup to narrow Massasoit's lead to 30-28 with 1:12 remaining. However, the Warriors finished the half strong with five unanswered points, capped off by a jump shot courtesy of sophomore guard Destiny Morales to put the Express in a seven-point hole (35-28) at the intermission.
Monroe – Bronx came storming out of the gate in the third quarter as
Beverly Williams forced three steals in a span of 1:01 which led to three layups, the latter two by her, to pull the Express to within a 35-34 deficit just 2:09 in. After Monroe came all the way back to tie it up at 38, Massasoit countered with an 8-2 run to claim a six-point advantage with 2:36 left in the stanza.
The Express once again responded with their backs against the wall by generating an 8-2 run of their own, concluded by a putback bucket courtesy of sophomore forward
Makira Bunsie, to tie it up at 48 points apiece with 1:15 remaining in the period.
After Massasoit hit two free throws to regain the lead,
Beverly Williams responded with a deep 3-point basket to give the Express their first lead since the opening quarter, at 51-50, with 45 ticks left on the clock. After Monroe's defense forced a turnover, Bunsie capitalized on a layup attempt to increase the Express' vantage to 53-50 with 21 second remaining. That ended up being the score after 30 minutes of play.
The Warriors started the final period of regulation strong by going on a 6-2 run to go back in front by one with 6:58 to go.
Five lead changes then occurred in a span of 2:20 with the final one being a layup from Gunter to catapult Monroe to a 63-62 benefit with 1:48 remaining. Massasoit drew a foul with 1:26 left and went 1-for-2 from the line to tie it up at 63.
At that point, with 1:16 remaining, Cheatham set up Gunter who delivered the go-ahead bucket to give Monroe a 65-63 edge with 1:16 left. Fast forward to five seconds remaining and Massasoit attempted a wide-open 3-point shot to take the lead, but it was off and Gunter grabbed the rebound. She passed it to
Beverly Williams who was fouled intentionally with less than one second to go. After missing the first, she drained the second to give Monroe a three-point advantage. The buzzer sounded after the inbound pass and Monroe clinched its third victory of the season.
For the Express, sophomore guard
Tymere Moorer finished with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Classmate
Tiffany Newsome had a solid game with seven points, 10 rebounds, a pair of assists, a duo of blocks, and just as many steals. Bunsie provided six points and just as many boards. Sophomore guard
Davian Myers netted four points and clutched seven caroms. Gunter generated seven points and four boards, while Cheatham finished with four points and six rebounds. Freshman guard
Salimah Williams snatched three rebounds, had just as many steals, and dished out two assists. McCleod added three boards and just as many helpers.
For the Warriors, Morales had 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Freshman forward Brooke Jackson tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while blocking five shots. Sophomore guard Jayda Fortin generated 14 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of assists. Second-year guard Naveiha Madison provided 12 points, seven caroms, and two blocks.
Monroe – Bronx will return to its home territory on Tuesday evening for the Region 15 opener against LaGuardia Community College. Tipoff at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium is set for 6:00 p.m.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University 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 University 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.
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