NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Monroe College – Bronx women's basketball team earned a decisive victory in the quarterfinal round of the Region 15 Tournament over fifth-seeded Borough of Manhattan Community College, 104-72, at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Tuesday evening. The Express advance to the semifinal round of the regional postseason and will take on top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 14 Hostos Community College. The contest will take place on Saturday at Kingsborough Community College beginning at noon.
 
History was name during Monroe's (16-16) quarterfinal win as freshman guard Daysiah Smith became the program's all-time career leading scorer thanks to her 36-point performance. She now has 640 career points which moves her ahead of Nyeira Spady ('23) for the top spot on the team's all-time career scoring list. Spady scored 612 points during her two seasons with the Express. 
 
"Daysiah has been the most prolific scorer we've had in the region this year," Express Head Coach Damel Ling said. "She's done it night in and night out and has been efficient in how she scores. She's one of the best scorers in Monroe history as well as region history."
 
In addition to Smith's 36 points, she also dished out a game-high 11 assists to complete her double-double, while forcing five steals, grabbing four rebounds, and blocking a shot. 
 
The Express got off to a slow start during the game, falling behind by a score of 15-9 with 3:15 left to go in the opening quarter. Monroe – Bronx flipped the switch on and scored eight unanswered points, capped off by a layup from freshman guard Tiffany Newsome, to give the Express a 17-15 lead. 
 
After BMCC (7-15) tied it up at 17, Smith converted a key layup on the fast break off a feed from freshman guard Tymere Moorer after the latter forced a steal. It was an important basket by Smith because not only did it give the Express the lead for good, but it was her 612^th and 613^th career points which moved her from second place to first place on Monroe – Bronx's All-Time Career Scoring List. 
 
In the closing seconds of the opening quarter, Smith found freshman guard Angeleny Cobos who buried a triple to extend Monroe's lead to 24-20 with five seconds left and that was the score after 10 minutes of play. 
 
BMCC kept hanging around during the second quarter. The Express led by as many as 11 but the Panthers scored eight straight points, concluding with a layup by freshman forward Kamella Ross, to pull the visiting team to within three at 44-41 with 1:05 to go before the break. Monroe – Bronx gave themselves more breathing room as a triple by Moorer put an exclamation point on a 7-2 run to give the Blue and Gold a 51-43 benefit with 27 seconds left. Borough of Manhattan managed to pull to within six, right before the end of the half.
 
Monroe came storming out of the gate in the third quarter, exploding for a 15-2 run during the first 4:25 of the stanza to take a commanding 66-47 hold. That put the game out of reach for the Panthers, as the Express padded its cushion to as many as 33 before earning the 104-72 victory and a ticket to the regional semifinals.
 
Helping the Express was Newsome who provided energy off the bench with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals, and just as many blocks. Moorer provided 14 points, six boards, a trio of assists, and two steals. Cobos netted 11 points, including three triples, snatched two caroms, and collected a duo of steals. First-year forward Da'Mya Cheatham grabbed nine rebounds, scored three points, and delivered three assists. 
 
For BMCC, sophomore guard Emily Kennedy scored a game-high 37 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out six assists, and forced five steals. 
 
For more information regarding Saturday's regional semifinal game against Hostos, check out 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).