NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Monroe University – Bronx men's basketball team produced a strong effort against nationally ranked No. 6 Northampton Community College but fell short by a 70-63 decision at Monroe Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The loss snaps Monroe's six-game winning streak as the Express drop to 15-5 for the season. The Spartans extend their winning streak to three games to advance to 18-2 this year.

Monroe led Northampton by eight (43-35) with just over 16 minutes left in regulation, but the Spartans responded with 13 unanswered points in a span of 4:18 to take a 48-43 benefit with 11:19 remaining. The Express managed to tie the game at 48 but then Northampton scored five points in a row to take the lead for good with 9:40 remaining, on its way to the win.

The big difference in the battle was the free-throw shooting. The Spartans went 25-for-31 (80.6%) from the charity stripe, while the Express converted nine out of 13 attempts (69.2%).  The Blue and Gold had the advantage scoring in the paint over the opposition by a 32-24 margin.

Leading the way for Monroe - Bronx during the afternoon was Steven McGriff who had a near double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while distributing three assists. Jalonie Pittman scored 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting and snatched three caroms. Adrian Rosario netted 10 points and shot 4-for-7 from the field.  

The Express got off to an explosive start as a successful jumper by Andi Metaliaj gave his team an 8-2 advantage less than three minutes into the contest. Later in the opening half, Monroe built its lead to 12-5 thanks to a good jump shot courtesy of Michael Samuda with 13:45 left before the break.

Northampton scored the next five points to cut its deficit to three, but then Monroe countered with five straight points of its own. Rosario concluded the Express' five-point rally with a jumper to put the Blue and Gold up, 17-9. After the Spartans scored next, Malike Smart answered with a layup to equal Monroe's largest lead of the contest at 19-11 with 8:46 remaining in the first period.

The Spartans proved why they are the sixth-ranked team in NJCAA Division III by scoring 10 straight points to jump out in front. The highlights of the double-digit blitz was a layup while drawing a foul by Terrance Cobb, plus his added free throw that tied the game at 19, and then a putback basket by Jaha Marable just 24 seconds later that gave the Spartans a 21-19 edge with 6:14 left before the half. 

Smart got the Express back on track by converting a layup to even the game at 21. After each team added a bucket from inside the arc, McGriff scored the game's next five points to propel Monroe to a 28-23 benefit with 2:25 remaining in the period. 

With 22 seconds to go before the end of the half, Cobb got Northampton closer with a 3-point basket to shrink Monroe's vantage to 30-28. However, Damien Maldonado drew a foul with two ticks left on the clock. He drained both shots to increase the Express' lead to 32-28 and that ended up being the score after 20 minutes of play. 

Monroe protected a four-point advantage in the early stages of the second half as Samuda converted on a shot from beyond the arc to pad the Express' hold to 39-32 with 17:10 remaining. After Northampton inched closer, Rosario took a feed from Maldonado and executed a good layup to inflate Monroe's cushion to 41-33 with 16:32 left to play.

The Spartans got to within six, but the Blue and Gold answered again as a fastbreak layup by Pittman ballooned Monroe's advantage to 43-35 with 16:06 on the clock. 

From that point, the tide changed. Cobb connected on a basket to pull his team to within six and that began a run of 13 straight points for the Spartans, highlighted by Cobb's 3-pointer that pulled his team to within one and then his pass that led to Kevin Rucker's jumper that put Northampton in front, 44-43, with 13:35 remaining. After the Spartans extended the lead to three, Rucker drew a foul and then drained two free throws to cap off the Spartan's 13-0 run and put Monroe in a 48-43 hole.

Caleb Dunn helped turn it around for the Express as his successful 3-point shot ended the Blue and Gold's 5:08 scoring drought and pulled his team to within two. After Monroe's defense got a stop, Metaliaj took advantage on the other end with a layup to even the game at 48 points apiece with 10:18 remaining.

A key play for Northampton took place on the very next possession as Lamaj Mapp converted a fastbreak layup while being fouled. He added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play and give his team a 51-48 benefit with 10:11 to go. The Spartans never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the contest and eventually built their advantage to 10 (64-54) thanks to a traditional three-point play by Rucker with 3:29 left.

The Express had one more rally in them as they went on a 9-2 run, concluded by a 3-point basket courtesy of Dunn, to shrink Monroe's deficit to 66-63 with just 30 seconds remaining. 

The Blue and Gold displayed strong defensive pressure which forced the Spartans to use a timeout with 21 seconds to go. After play resumed, more seconds ticked off. The Express had no choice but to intentionally foul Cobb with 13 ticks remaining. He converted two key free throws to make it a two-possession contest at 68-63. Monroe could not get the game closer as the Spartans added two more free throws with 0.3 seconds left to ice the game and capture the 70-63 win.

For the Express during the afternoon, Maldonado tallied six points and six assists. Metaliaj provided six points and five boards. Dunn scored eight points, while Samuda netted seven.

For Northampton, Cobb scored a game-high 23 points, while snatching six caroms and delivering four assists. Rucker compiled 22 points and five rebounds. Mapp produced a double-double with 14 points and a game-best 11 rebounds, while forcing four steals.

Monroe – Bronx will return to Region 15 play on Tuesday evening with a battle against Bronx Community College. Tipoff at Monroe Athletic Complex 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.

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