SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 5 Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team continued its historic run with a 77-68 road victory over the sixth-ranked team in the country Onondaga Community College. The contest took place at Allyn Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.

It marks Monroe's second victory over a top 10 opponent this week and the third win over a nationally ranked team this season. The Blue and Gold move to 17-1, including an undefeated record against NJCAA Division III teams this season. 

"This was a great win for us," Express Head Coach Damel Ling said. "We came and stepped up to the plate."

The key was the 3-point shooting as Monroe drained 11 3-point field goals, while the Lazers (9-3) only converted two shots from downtown.

Leading the way for Monroe was Salimah Williams who scored a game-high 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting and a 5-for-10 clip from 3-point range, while grabbing six rebounds and forcing just as many steals. Aneyah McLamb had a great game with 22 points, five rebounds, and a trio of assists. Beverly Williams notched 19 points, four rebounds, and three steals. 

"It feels good to come in and beat a top 10 team," Salimah Williams said. "We fought through, communicated a lot, and made baskets."

The Express fell behind 6-0 in the early stages of the opening quarter. McLamb got Monroe on the scoreboard by draining a jump shot while being fouled. She added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play and narrow the Blue and Gold's deficit to three with 7:27 to go in the first period. Over a minute later with Monroe down 8-5, Jazmyne Rios buried a wide-open 3-point basket to even it up.

Later in the frame with the Lazers up 14-12, Beverly Williams put Monroe in the lead with a shot from downtown. McLamb followed with back-to-back layups to extend the Blue and Gold's benefit to 19-14 with 3:12 left in the first. 

After a 3-point shot by Kassidy Jones sliced Onondaga's deficit to two, Beverly Williams knocked down another triple to give Monroe more breathing room at 22-17.

Fast forward to six seconds remaining in the first stanza, Lea Tavarez caught the ball and drilled a 3-point field goal from the corner to extend the Express' lead to 27-21. Monroe eventually took a 27-23 benefit into the second period.

Monroe built its lead in the second quarter as a layup by Beverly Williams increased her team's cushion to 34-25 with 8:40 remaining before the break. Onondaga scored five straight points to narrow the Blue and Gold's lead to 34-30, but then Beverly Williams drained yet another timely 3-point shot to pad Monroe's vantage to 37-30 with 4:22 remaining.
 
Onondaga clawed its way back to shrink its disadvantage to 39-37. Salimah Williams answered right back for Monroe with a successful 3-point attempt to propel her team to the 42-37 benefit. Each team added three more points before the end of the half to make the score 45-40 in favor of the Express after 20 minutes of action. 

The Express came storming out of the gate in the second half with nine straight points, capped off by a steal and then a fastbreak layup from Beverly Williams, to take a commanding 54-42 hold less than two minutes into the third frame. 

Onondaga rallied to pull to within six but then Salimah Williams was able to bank in a 3-point shot to extend the lead to 57-48 with 4:40 left in the third. The Express finished the stanza strong as a layup by McLamb with 1:15 to go increased Monroe - Bronx's benefit to 66-55 and that was the score after three stanzas of play.

In the fourth, the Express built up to their largest lead of the game as McLamb's layup made it 77-61 with 5:26 remaining. That proved to be enough as Monroe was able to hold off Onondaga for the 77-68 win in the battle of top 10 teams in NJCAA Division III.

Jada Crocker had a strong game for the Lazers with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Mary Hamer had a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. Lundyn McCutchen provided 10 points and four rebounds.

Monroe – Bronx will return to Region 15 play on Tuesday evening with a matchup against Borough of Manhattan Community College. Tipoff at BMCC Gymnasium is set for 5 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).