THROGGS NECK, N.Y. - The Monroe College Bronx women's basketball team dropped its final non-region contest of the regular season to Berkeley College N.Y., a four-year USCAA school, by a score of 92-71 at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
 
Monroe – Bronx (14-16) trailed by 18 in the first half but rallied to pull to within three during the third quarter. However, the Express ran out of gas as Berkeley (10-12) pulled away and eventually won by 21.
 
Leading the way for the Express was sophomore guard Daysiah Smith who scored 35 points, forced five steals, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out just as many assists. First-year guard Tymere Moorer tallied 23 points, snatched six rebounds, collected four steals, and delivered a pair of assists. 
 
Also helping the Express was freshman guard Tiffany Newsome who brought down eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and picked up two steals. Rookie guard Angeleny Cobos generated seven points and four rebounds, while second-year forward Kristina Poitier-Wells provided five caroms and a duo of assists. Freshman guard Davian Myers had eight rebounds. First-year forward Da'Mya Cheatham collected four steals and blocked two shots.
 
The Express fell behind 34-16 in the early stages of the second quarter but turned it around with a 12-2 run in a span of 2:58 to narrow the opposition's lead to 36-28 with 4:39 to go until the break. Moorer began the rally for the Blue and Gold with a triple, while Smith propelled it with a shot from downtown, two field goals from inside the paint, and a pair of free throws.
 
Berkeley recovered and padded its lead back to 12. Monroe countered with seven unanswered points, beginning with a 3-point field goal by Moorer and ending with freshman guard Jah Gunter converting a layup, to shrink Monroe's disadvantage to 40-35 with 2:53 remaining until the break. 
 
After each team scored two points, the Knights went on a 6-0 run to inflate its cushion to 11. Moorer helped Monroe finish the first half on a positive note with a layup, to pull Monroe to within single digits, at 48-49, with 35 ticks left on the clock. That ended up being the score at the break.
 
Monroe got off to a great start in the second half as they scored the first five points to pull to within four. Later in the stanza, with Monroe down by six, Cobos drained a triple that sliced the Express' disadvantage to 52-49 with 5:44 left to play in the third. That was as close as Monroe got as Berkeley scored the next four points to go back up by seven. The Express managed to get back to within four, thanks to two free throws from Smith and one converted shot from the charity stripe by Cobos, but the Knights countered with a 12-4 run to increase its benefit to 68-56 with 34 seconds left in the third stanza.
 
Berkeley took a nine-point lead into the fourth and began the final period of regulation play with an 11-2 run to take a commanding 79-61 hold with 6:41 left to play. The Knights built their lead even more throughout the remainder of the contest, on their way to the 92-71 triumph.
 
The Express only shot 30.4% from the field (24-for-79) during the evening, while the Knights converted 51.6% (32-for-62) of their shots from the floor. At the free-throw line, Berkeley went 21-for-32 (65.6%), while the Express hit 13 out of just 22 attempts (59.1%).
 
For the Knights, sophomore center Keisy Villanueva had a big game by leading all players with 38 points, while grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out nine assists, blocking four shots, and forcing three steals. She shot 14-for-25 from the field, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Junior forward Za'Nya Henderson scored 22 points, snatched five boards, dished out three assists, forced a duo of steals, and blocked a shot. Freshman guard Ally Cuffy had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds, while adding eight assists. Junior forward Jordan Washington provided 19 points, seven steals, three assists, and a trio of rebounds.
 
Prior to the game, Monroe College – Bronx honored Smith, Poitier-Wells, and sophomore forward Xing Stewart-Greer with a Sophomore Night Ceremony. 
 
Monroe – Bronx will conclude the regular season with a Region 15 contest against Queensborough Community College on Thursday evening. Tipoff at RFK Gymnasium is set for 5:30 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).