WARWICK, R.I. – In a battle of nationally ranked team on Thursday evening, No. 15 Monroe University – Bronx fell short to No. 10 Community College of Rhode Island, 63-59, at CCRI Gymnasium.

The Express (12-5) struck first to take a 2-0 lead but then the Knights (12-2) went on a 12-4 to take the lead for good. Monroe trailed by 10 in the opening half but finished the stanza strong with five unanswered points, capped off by a layup from sophomore Tymere Moorer with four seconds left, to go into the break down 23-21.

Rhode Island came storming out of the gate in the second half with a 7-0 run to take a commanding 30-21 hold, just 2:23 in. Monroe – Bronx answered with eight straight points in just nine seconds, concluded off by a 3-point basket from freshman Winter Smith, to shrink the deficit to 30-29.

Rhode Island outscored Monroe, 8-4, during the remaining 5:40 of the third to take a 38-33 advantage heading into the final period of regulation time. 

The Express dominated the early stages of the fourth quarter as a steal and then a layup by Moorer capped off a 7-2 run by the Blue and Gold to tie the game at 40, just 3:42 into the frame. However, Rhode Island regained control of the contest by scoring 13 of the game's next 14 points to take a commanding 53-41 hold with 3:24 remaining. 

Monroe continued to not go down without a fight as they went on a 13-3 rally to narrow the deficit to 56-54 with 1:36 left to play. But thanks to six made free throws by the Knights, the Express fell behind, 62-54, with 30 ticks left on the clock. 

The Blue and Gold still made things interesting once again as a triple by freshman Beverly Williams and then a layup by sophomore Tiffany Newsome shrunk the Express' disadvantage to 62-59 with 16 seconds left. However, freshman Kellylyn Kizlinn of CCRI was fouled intentionally with 13 seconds left and hit one out of two free throw attempts to extend the home team's lead to 63-59. That ended up being the final score. 

Smith had another big game for the Express as she scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, forced just as many steals, and delivered four assists. Newsome provided 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Moorer netted 11 points, snatched four caroms, and gathered four steals. Williams added 10 points, a trio of rebounds, a pair of assists, and a duo of steals.

For the Knights, sophomore Stephanie Walker had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds to go along with three blocks and two steals. Kozlin tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Sophomore Tatiana Pereira registered 11 points, three assists, and just as many steals. Classmate Angelisse Melendez provided 10 points, collected five steals, dished out three assists, and brought down two rebounds.

No. 10 Monroe – Bronx will be involved in another national showdown on Monday against nationally ranked No. 9 Onondaga 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.

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). Catch us on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/MonroeExpress.