THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – In a battle of nationally ranked teams on Tuesday evening, the No. 15 Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team fell to No. 11 Onondaga Community College, 77-73, at Monsignor Scanlan Gymnasium. The Express drop to to 12-6 for the season, while the Lazers advance to 9-4. 
 
Monroe led Onondaga by 11 at the half but were then outscored, 52-37, during the final 20 minutes of play. In fact, the Express were up by nine in the early stages of the fourth quarter but a 20-2 run by the Lazers changed the course of the game and allowed them to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.  
 
Freshman Winter Smith had a big game for the Express with a 17-point and 10-steal double-double. She also dished out six assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Sophomore Makira Bunsie also had a double-double with 19 points and 12 boards, with 10 of the caroms coming on the offensive end. Classmate Tiffany Newsome generated 10 points, three rebounds, a trio of assists, and two steals. Freshman Beverly Williams registered 14 points, three steals, and two assists. 
 
The opening quarter was tight throughout as neither team led by more than three for the first eight-plus minutes of the stanza. However, that changed when a putback layup by Express sophomore Da'Mya Cheatham capped off a 9-2 run by Monroe to give them a 13-9 benefit with 1:45 left to play in the frame. Onondaga countered with four straight points to even the game up at 13. The Express answered right back thanks to a layup by second-year player Tymere Moorer to put the Blue and Gold back in front, 15-13, with 23 ticks left on the clock. That was the score after 10 minutes of play. 
 
Monroe's strong finish to the end of the first period carried over into the second as Williams nailed a 3-point field goal to pad her team's lead to 20-15 with 7:35 left until the intermission. The Lazers came storming back with an 8-2 run to pull ahead by a score of 23-22 with 5:42 to go. Bunsie took over for the Express as she scored 12 points out of Monroe's 14-3 blitz to finish the first half, capped off by her putback layup with three seconds left, to send Monroe into the locker room up by a score of 36-25.
 
Onondaga got off to a strong start in the second half by scoring seven unanswered points to pull to within three just 1:45 in. After Monroe scored the next point, Williams took over by draining two 3-point shots in a span of 29 seconds to pad Monroe's lead to 43-35 with 6:25 remaining in the third. After the Lazers rallied to slice their deficit to 47-45, Bunsie got the Express back on track by converting a layup and drawing a foul. She added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play and extend the home team's benefit to 50-45 with 3:41 to go. 
 
Fast forward to nine seconds left in the third. Monroe built its lead as Moorer executed a layup to make it 59-51 in favor of the Express. However, Onondaga immediately responded as sophomore Sarah Hirschler buried a 3-pointer with two seconds left to send the Lazers into the final period of regulation time down only 59-54. 
 
The fourth quarter started great for Monroe as 2-point baskets by Smith and Newsome extended the Express' advantage to 63-54 with 8:30 left to play. Unfortunately for the Blue and Gold, the Lazers changed the tide of the game with 14 unanswered points in a span of 5:22 to take a 68-63 benefit and completely stun Monroe. It got worse for the home team as a layup by second-year player Precious Gabriel put the visiting team up, 74-65, with 1:21 to go. That capped off a 20-2 blitz by Onondaga. 
 
With 1:07 remaining, Bunsie converted a layup for Monroe's first field goal in 7:23 to pull to within seven. The Express were down by five in the closing seconds of the evening, but Smith drained a triple to pull her team to within two, at 75-73, with four seconds left. However, sophomore Brianna Weaver was fouled intentionally with one second left and drained both free throws to clinch the come-from-behind win for the Lazers. 
 
For Monroe - Bronx, Moorer provided nine points and five rebounds. Cheatham added six boards.
 
For Onondaga, Gabriel earned a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while blocking two shots and forcing just as many steals. Weaver had a near double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while delivering a pair of helpers. Sophomore Kathryn Grainger generated 10 points, two rebounds, and just as many assists. Hirschler added 11 points, three boards, and two steals. Freshman Jada Crocker had a solid game with nine points, four caroms, three steals, two blocks, and just as many assists. 
 
The Express will have another battle of nationally ranked teams at Monsignor Scanlan Gym on Thursday, this time it will be a Region 15 game against No. 7 Hostos Community College. Tipoff 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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