NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's basketball team successfully fought off Queensborough Community College in overtime to earn a Region 15 victory, 83-80, at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Tuesday evening.
 
The Express (10-7, 7-3 Region 15) scored the first six points of the overtime session, all by freshman Dimitre Alston. Queensborough (5-6, 5-5 Region 15) managed to pull to within three a few times, including in the closing seconds, but they could not bury the game-tying 3-point attempt as time expired and the Express pulled off the victory.
 
"Strong shooting from the line and timely defense allowed us to get the victory," Express Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Neely said.
 
For the evening, Alston provided 19 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and two assists off the bench. Classmate Paolo Avvento had a strong shooting night from beyond the arc, going 4-for-5. He netted 14 points overall and forced two steals.
 
The Express got off to a great start in the game as a pair of free throws by freshman Malike Smart gave his team a 17-9 benefit with 12:30 remaining in the opening half. The Tigers countered with 10 unanswered points, capped off by a layup from sophomore Williams Guzman, to put the visiting team ahead, 20-17, with 9:20 to go. After each team scored a basket, freshman Jayquan Lee drained a triple for the Express that began a 5-0 run to put the Blue and Gold up 27-22. 
 
Monroe built its lead back to seven before Queensborough chipped away and eventually tied the game at 36 with 43 ticks left before the break. On the next possession, a layup by sophomore Rene Williams with 30 seconds to go gave the Express a narrow 38-36 edge and that ended up being the score after 20 minutes of play. 
 
After falling behind by a score of 42-41 in the early stages of the second half, Monroe bounced back by rattling off seven unanswered points, concluded by a 3-point basket from Lee, to catapult the home team to a six-point lead. Later in the half, Monroe built its advantage as a successful jump shot by sophomore Jayden Gamory gave his team a 64-54 cushion with 8:15 remaining in regulation time. However, Queensborough came storming back with a 12-4 run, capped off by a layup from freshman Diego Cruz Lopez, to pull the Tigers to within 68-66 with 2:06 left to play.
 
Sophomore David Malone of the Express gave his team more breathing room by grabbing an offensive rebound and then providing a putback basket to make it 70-66 in favor of Monroe with 1:33 remaining. Guzman converted a layup for Queensborough on the next possession to pull his team back to within two with 1:10 left to play.
 
Fast forward to 50 seconds remaining and the Tigers securing the ball down 70-68. The visiting team dribbles up the court and then with 31 seconds left, Queensborough launched a 3-point attempt in hopes of taking the lead, but the ball rattled off the rim. Guzman grabbed the ball and tipped it into the basket off his offensive rebound to tie the game at 70 with 28 seconds remaining. The Express brought it up the court but could not convert the game-winning layup attempt with 12 seconds left and Queensborough gathered the rebound and then called a timeout. The Tigers had a chance to win it but their 3-point attempt at the buzzer did not go through and overtime was needed.
 
Monroe came storming out of the gate in the extra session as six straight points scored by Alston in a span of 1:07 gave his team a 76-70 benefit with 3:39 to go. After each team added three points, Queensborough made a key play with 26 seconds left as Guzman executed a layup, while being fouled. He added a free throw to complete the traditional three-point play to slice the Tigers' deficit in half at 79-76. 
 
Lopez forced a steal for Queensborough on the next possession, but then Lee stole the ball right back for the Express and was immediately fouled intentionally with 22 ticks left on the clock. He drained both shots from the line to give Monroe more insurance at 81-76. 
 
Freshman Jhereme Asamoah of Queensborough added a layup to make it a one-possession game and then Avvento was fouled on purpose. He drilled both free throw attempts with 10 seconds left to extend Monroe's lead to 83-78. Asamoah once again added a layup with three seconds left to make it a three-point game. The Tigers got a break after intentionally fouling with 1.8 seconds left as Monroe missed both shots from the line and sophomore Brandon Sun grabbed the defensive rebound. He launched the ball from well beyond the half-court line in a desperate attempt to tie the game at the buzzer, but the ball did not connect with the basket and Monroe hung on for the 83-80 regional win in overtime. 
 
For the Express during the evening, Gamory scored 12 points, delivered five assists, and gathered just as many rebounds. Lee generated 10 points and three boards. Malone had a solid game with seven points, 13 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Shain Frazier provided eight points and three caroms. Williams had a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. He blocked a shot to put him at 40 blocks for his career which puts him in a three-way tie with Abubakar Kromah (2022-2024) and Dashawn Hines (2018-19 season) for No. 1 on the program's all-time list. 

For the Tigers, Guzman had a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while blocking three shots. Freshman Jerheim Elder finished with 15 points and eight boards. Lopez generated 14 points, five rebounds, three steals, a duo of blocks, and just as many assists. Asamoah netted 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and delivered a pair of assists. Rookie Cadell Inniss scored 10 points, snatched three rebounds, delivered a trio of helpers, and forced two steals.
 
Monroe will travel to Massachusetts on Saturday for a non-region game against Bristol Community College. Tipoff at Taunton Campus Gymnasium is set for 2:00 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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