NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's basketball team earned a thrilling regional win over fellow Bronx school Hostos Community College, 62-59, at Monroe Athletic Complex on Tuesday evening.

The Express hand the Caimans their first loss in regional play this year. Monroe advances to 6-3 overall and 5-2 against Region 15 opponents. Hostos drops to 5-3 overall and 5-1 in the region.

It was a well-fought battle as there were eight lead changes throughout the night. The difference in the contest was the second-chance points with Monroe producing 18 and Hostos only having eight.

"Tonight's victory was hard-fought," Express Head Coach Chris Neely said. "Two Bronx teams that know each other very well competed until the very end. Discipline, free throws, and defense were the keys to the game tonight. Hopefully this can spark the momentum and for us to start to win more games."

Steven McGriff had a strong evening for Monroe with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while also blocking two shots. Adrian Rosario also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards, while blocking five shots.

The Express fell behind 28-24 with 4:08 left in the opening half. However, Monroe countered with five straight points, capped by a triple from Paolo Avvento, to take a 29-28 edge with 2:32 to go before the break. The Caimans answered right back with four unanswered points to close out the half and go into the intermission up 32-29.

Monroe scored the first four points of the second stanza to take a one-point lead. Omar Drammeh countered with a layup which allowed Hostos to jump back in front, 34-33. Monroe – Bronx fought back with eight consecutive points, concluded by a layup courtesy of Michael Samuda, to allow the Blue and Gold to catapult to a 41-34 advantage with 14:21 remaining in regulation time.

Later in the period, Samuda executed another layup to give Monroe its largest lead of the evening at 46-36 with 12:01 to go. 

It looked bleak for Hostos as a putback by McGriff gave the Blue and Gold a 57-49 advantage with 5:21 left to play. However, the Caimans did not give up as they scored three unanswered points to slice the deficit to five with 3:21 left on the clock. 

Fast forward to less than two minutes remaining and Monroe up 59-54. Hostos provided the pressure as Drammeh drained a 3-point field goal to pull his team to within two, at 59-57, with 1:40 to go. 

Rosario came up big for the Express as he earned trips to the free-throw line in back-to-back possessions. The first time he was fouled on accident and the second time was with 20 seconds left and he was fouled on purpose. He went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe in each of those trips which increased the Blue and Gold's lead to 61-57. 

Harry Bonilla of Hostos drew a foul with 12 seconds left and hit both free throws to narrow Monroe's advantage to 61-59. On Monroe's next possession, McGriff was intentionally fouled with three ticks left on the clock. Monroe committed an out-of-position violation which wiped away McGriff's first free-throw attempt. He had to settle for one official chance, and he buried it to increase the Express' lead to 62-59.

Hostos had one last opportunity to tie it but a 3-point attempt from well beyond half court fell short which clinched the win for Monroe.

Avvento had a solid game for the Express with seven points and just as many rebounds. Samuda compiled six points, five boards, four assists, and two steals. Javaughn White added six points, while Jalonie Pittman delivered six assists.

For the Caimans, Bonilla scored a game-high 23 points, while forcing seven steals to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Drammeh added 15 points, seven caroms, and two helpers. Nygel Ready gathered a game-best 13 rebounds and blocked five shots. 

Monroe – Bronx will head down the road on Thursday for a matchup against local Region 15 rival Bronx Community College. Tipoff at Alumni Gym is set for 8 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, 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).