BAYSIDE, N.Y. – The Monroe College – Bronx men's basketball team concluded the regular season on a strong note by defeating Queensborough Community College, 67-57, at RFK Gymnasium on Thursday evening. With the victory, the Express (19-10, 13-5 Region 15) clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Region 15 Tournament for the third year in a row and will host the regional quarterfinal game on Tuesday evening. Time, opponent, and location will be announced on Friday afternoon. 
 
Monroe – Bronx trailed by five in the early stages of the second half, but then went on a 19-4 run in a span of 6:57 to jump out in front for good, 48-38, with 9:51 remaining in regulation time.
 
Leading the way for the Express during the evening was sophomore guard Jaream Eason who notched a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs. Classmate Abubakar Kromah also notched a double-double with 17 points and 14 boards, while dishing out six assists, forcing four steals, and blocking a shot. Sophomore guards Vashaun Wallace and Jovan Young each produced 10 points and eight rebounds, with the former delivering seven helpers and collecting a duo of steals. Rookie guard Steven McGriff tallied four points, five rebounds, two blocks, and a pair of assists. Second-year forward Timothy Charles added seven boards.
 
The Express got off to a fast start as a putback layup by Eason gave the Blue and Gold a 6-0 advantage less than three minutes into the contest. The Tigers (7-15, 7-11 Region 15) countered with nine straight points in less than two minutes to go up by three.
 
There were five lead changes during the remainder of the opening half. After the Express trailed 14-12, they scored six unanswered points, concluded by a fast-break layup from Kromah, to take a four-point lead at 18-14 with 5:38 to go until the break. Monroe – Bronx kept the advantage for the remainder of the opening half and went into the intermission up by a score of 27-24. 
 
Queensborough came storming out of the gate in the second half by going on a 10-2 run to jump ahead by a score of 34-29 with 17:17 left to play. Wallace put a halt to the opposition's momentum by taking a feed from sophomore forward Anthony Bannister and draining a jumper to pull his team to within three. Thanks to a jumper by Eason and then a pair of free throws from Kromah, Monroe went back in front by a score of 35-34 with 15:09 left.
 
The Tigers went ahead by one, but then Kromah drained a 3-point field goal to put the Express in the lead for good, at 38-36, with 14:06 remaining. Bannister kept Monroe's momentum going with a layup to extend its vantage to four. After Queensborough scored the next bucket to pull to within two, the Express took over the game by scoring eight straight points, capped off by a jump shot from Charles, to give them more breathing room at 48-38 with 9:51 to go in regulation time. The Tigers tried to play catch up but could not generate a consistent run to get back into it. The Express padded its lead to 13 before earning the 67-57 victory. 
 
For Queensborough, freshman forward Williams Guzman netted 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and forced two steals. Sophomore guard Benjamin Grant tallied 12 points, three boards, a trio of assists, and a pair of steals. 
 
For updates regarding Monroe's Region 15 Quarterfinal game on Tuesday evening, please visit MonroeExpress.com as well as our social media channels. 

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).