BROWNWOOD, Texas – The #4-seed Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team concluded its successful 2025-26 campaign with a loss in the NJCAA Championship Consolation Round to #8-seed Onondaga Community College, 59-53, at Brownwood Coliseum on Friday afternoon.

Monroe had a strong comeback attempt as the Blue and Gold trailed by 22 with 3:29 left in the third quarter but stormed back to pull to within six before the conclusion of the game.

It was an incredible season for the Express as they captured its fourth Region 15 and Northeast District titles in program history. Monroe finished with a 26-8 record, earned wins against six teams that were nationally ranked, and went 22-3 against NJCAA Division III teams. The Express were nationally ranked all year, earning a ranking as high as No. 4 in the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Poll.

The Lazers (25-5) will compete for a fifth-place finish in the NJCAA Championship Tournament on Saturday. Time and opponent are to be determined. 

Leading the way for Monroe during the afternoon was Aneyah McLamb who registered 19 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Salimah Williams generated 15 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and six helpers. Beverly Williams finished with 14 points, six caroms, and four steals. Diamondnique Stephenson added five boards and a duo of steals. Jazmyne Rios provided four points and three caroms.

The Express got off to a slow start, falling behind by a score of 4-0. Monroe got on the board with 6:41 left in the first when Salimah Williams forced a steal and then converted a layup off the fast break to slice the deficit in half. 

Onondaga continued its strong early play as a putback by Jada Crocker put Monroe in a 9-4 hole with 4:18 left in the opening period. The Express could not get anything going offensively for the remainder of the stanza as the Lazers built to a 14-5 hold after 10 minutes of play. 

The Blue and Gold were unable get into rhythm during the second stanza as Onondaga increased its lead to 12 before taking a 24-13 hold into the intermission. 

The Lazers continued to ascend during the third quarter, inflating their surplus to 22 on three occasions, concluded by a layup from Aunnie Stier that put Monroe in a 45-23 hole with 3:29 remaining in the stanza.

The Express got back on track with six straight points to close the quarter, capped by a layup from McLamb that pulled Monroe to within a 16-point deficit after 30 minutes of play.

Although Monroe could not generate a consistent run in the early to middle stages of the fourth quarter, the Blue and Gold kept chipping away, draining the deficit little by little. The Express made their run late in the frame as Beverly Williams produced a layup that inched Monroe to within 11, at 56-45, with 2:04 remaining. 

After Onondaga scored the next point, Monroe responded with five unanswered, highlighted by a steal and then a layup off a fast break from Salimah Williams. The Jersey City native capped the run with a free throw to deflate Onondaga's advantage to 57-50 with just 16 ticks on the clock. 

The Express fouled Kassidy Jones on purpose with eight seconds remaining. She made both free-throw attempts to make it a 59-50 game. 

Monroe – Bronx did not give up. After the Blue and Gold called a timeout to advance the ball to the frontcourt, Beverly Williams took an inbound pass from Salimah Williams and drained a catch-and-shoot 3-point basket to narrow Monroe's deficit to six with seven seconds left. Beverly Williams did not quit and provided more strong play as she knocked the ball out of the opposing player's hands and gathered it. She dribbled to beyond the 3-point arc on the left corner and launched the ball up in the closing seconds. However, the ball rattled off just as the final buzzer went off, clinching the 59-53 win for the Lazers, ending Monroe's resilient comeback attempt and monumental season.

For Onondaga, Crocker had a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Morgan Vasquez tallied 17 points and eight rebounds. 

The Monroe University – Bronx women's basketball team will return to the court in November of 2026.

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).