NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – In a battle of nationally ranked programs and the top two teams that were undefeated in Region 15 play, the No. 7 Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team came out on top over No. 14 Kingsborough Community College, 59-58, at Monroe Athletic Complex on Sunday afternoon. 

The Express advance their perfect regional record to 8-0, good for sole possession of first place at the conclusion of the first half of the Region 15 slate. Monroe is 12-1 overall and remains unbeaten against NJCAA Division III opponents. The Wave suffer their first loss against a region opponent to drop to 7-1 (7-4 overall).

It was a clash of styles as Monroe had the advantage in overall shooting percentage with a 41.2% (21-for-51) clip to Kingsborough's 32.8% (21-for-64). The Express took advantage of the 3-point shooting by going 32.8% (11-for-28) from beyond the arc compared to 8.3% (1-for-12) from the Wave. Kingsborough won the rebounding battle by a 55-31 margin and earned 20 second-chance points. 

It was Monroe's strong play down the stretch that made the difference. 

"The character of our team showed up," Express Head Coach Damel Ling said. "Overall, we made play after play to dig ourselves out of a hole and finish the game."

After falling behind by nine (53-44) with 5:38 left in regulation, Monroe showed strong fight and battled back. Jazmyne Rios nailed a triple to pull the Blue and Gold to within six with 5:24 to go. The Express drew an offensive foul on the next possession to get the ball back. Aneyah McLamb took advantage by executing a successful layup to narrow Kingsborough's lead to 53-49.

Later in the fourth quarter, Monroe's strong defensive pressure forced a 10-second violation on Kingsborough, giving the Express the ball back down by four with 4:38 remaining. The Blue and Gold once again took advantage as a 3-point field goal by Beverly Williams narrowed Monroe's disadvantage to just 53-52 with 4:23 to go. 

After the Express got another stop on defense, Beverly Williams struck again with a successful shot from downtown to propel Monroe to a 55-53 edge with 3:54 remaining, much to the delight of the raucous crowd.

The Blue and Gold's strong defense struck again as Jaeda Kelly forced a deflection that was recovered by McLamb, and she delivered the ball forward to Kelly who performed a fastbreak layup to extend Monroe's lead to 57-53 with 2:36 to go, completing a run of 13 unanswered points by the Express.

Fast forward to under 30 seconds remaining and Monroe with a 59-55 benefit. The Wave broke out of their field-goal slump with just 21 ticks on the clock as Aneiyah Alexander delivered a layup, while being fouled. It was the visiting team's first field goal in 5:17. She added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play to pull Kingsborough to within one, at 59-58. 

The Express committed a turnover on their next possession to give Kingsborough the ball back. It got worse for Monroe as they committed a foul with four seconds remaining, sending the Wave to the line for two free-throw attempts, with a chance to tie and take the lead.

Fortunately for Monroe, the Wave missed both free-throw opportunities and Beverly Williams secured the defensive rebound. However, the Express threw the ball out of bounds with 0.3 seconds left. The Wave had an opportunity to win the game and earned possession of the ball in the front court. However, Monroe's defensive pressure did not allow the opposition to get a shot off and the Express earned the critical win in both the region and on the national level. 

Beverly Williams had a big outing for Monroe with a game-high 26 points, while providing five rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Salimah Williams generated 17 points, seven assists, just as many rebounds, and five steals. McLamb had a solid performance with eight points and nine caroms. Kelly delivered five helpers with three boards. 

For Kingsborough, Alexander had a monster double-double with 20 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while adding four steals and two assists. Justinna Boatwright had a near double-double with 15 points and nine caroms, while tallying four providers and two steals. Marina Richards chipped in with seven rebounds and a trio of steals, while Kianny Aristy recorded six points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. 

Monroe will battle Herkimer College in a non-region matchup on Sunday, December 14. Tipoff at Monroe Athletic Complex is set for 3 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).