NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's basketball team had the lead for much of its Region 15 contest against nationally ranked No. 1 Dutchess Community College, but it was not enough as the Falcons were able to earn the come-from-behind victory by a score of 66-60 at the Monroe Athletic Complex on Tuesday evening.

The Express (16-10, 10-6 Region 15) led by 10 early in the second half, and by seven with 4:24 remaining in regulation time. However, the undefeated Falcons (21-0, 15-0 Region 15) proved why they were the No. 1-ranked team in the country as they scored 12 unanswered points in a span of 2:54 to take a 64-59 lead with 1:22 left to play. Monroe was not able to recover as Dutchess went on to win by six.

The Falcons won the rebounding battle, 52-46, and made 21 free throws compared to the Express' 10 points from the charity stripe. 

Leading the way for Monroe was freshman Dimitre Alston who tallied a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while dishing out five assists. Second-year player Jayden Gamory had a career game with 15 points, five boards, just as many assists, and three steals. Classmate David Malone compiled 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Express had a strong first half as a traditional 3-point play by Alston gave the Blue and Gold a 29-21 benefit with 55 seconds left before the break. On Monroe's next offensive possession, Malone drew a foul and then drained two free throws to pad the Express' advantage to 31-21 with 11 ticks left on the clock. However, Dutchess sophomore Amadou Diallo buried a key jumper with five seconds left to send his team to the locker room down by eight.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Alston connected on a jumper to equal Monroe's largest lead of the game at 33-23. 

Dutchess chipped away and thanks to an and-one three-point play by sophomore Alijah England, the Falcons managed to even the game at 44 points apiece with 9:55 remaining in regulation time. Monroe countered with a 9-2 run, capped off by a layup from freshman Haley Guillen, to propel the home team to a 53-46 benefit with 7:29 to go.

Just over three minutes later, freshman Paolo Avvento capitalized on a jump shot to make it 59-52 in favor of Monroe - Bronx with just 4:24 remaining in the second half. Unfortunately for the Express, that was the last field goal they made the rest of the game as Dutchess' defense held them to just one successful free throw attempt for the remaining 4:24 of play. The highlight of that stretch for the Falcons was a thunderous dunk by England which put the No. 1 team in the nation in front, 60-59, with 2:49 to go. Monroe trailed the rest of the way as England iced the game with a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left to give the Falcons a 66-60 hold, completing a game-closing 14-1 run. 

For the undefeated Falcons, sophomore Seiray Sinerna generated 19 points, eight rebounds, and two steals. England produced a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He also forced three steals. Diallo provided 14 points, five boards, just as many steals, and three helpers. 

Monroe – Bronx will travel to Long Island on Saturday to battle Suffolk County Community College in a Region 15 matchup. Tipoff at Brookhaven Gymnasium is set for 12:00 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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