NJCAA Quarterfinals
83
Winner Bronx Community College BRONX CO 14-16
79
Monroe College - Bronx MONROE C 12-18
Winner
Bronx Community College BRONX CO
14-16
83
Final
79
Monroe College - Bronx MONROE C
12-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Bronx Community College BRONX CO 32 51 83
Monroe College - Bronx MONROE C 41 38 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Broncos overcome eight point deficit in final 3:32 to defeat Express, 83-79 in NJCAA Region XV quarterfinals

The Broncos won their first NJCAA Region XV Men's Basketball Tournament game in five years on Tuesday evening, coming from behind to defeat the Express of Monroe-Bronx by a score of 83-79 in the quarterfinals of this year's tourney. With the victory, Bronx improved to a mark of 14-16 on the year, advancing to take on the Caimans this Saturday in the semifinals at Hostos (7:15pm). On the flip side, Monroe-Bronx finalized its season at 12-18.

In what was the third and final meeting between the teams, the Broncos and Express played another game that was decided by four points or less, but this time it was Bronx that came out on top, rallying back from a 76-68 deficit in the final 3:32 of the game to stunningly triumph.

Sophomore guard Tilquan Rucker was fantastic in this one, especially in the latter stages of the contest. The CUNYAC Player of the Year netted 10 of his team-high 29 points inside the final 3:13 of regulation. Overall, he drilled nine of 21 attempts from the floor, while also hitting eight of his 12 shots from the charity stripe. Additionally, he snatched nine rebounds and tallied a game-high five steals.

Malik Hamilton put forth a strong effort, finalizing his evening with 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Steven Glover posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and William Paradise added seven points.

Despite the loss for the Express, Monroe-Bronx was paced by 31 points from Kevon Wiggins. That previous total led all scorers. He also posted a game-high 13 rebounds while tallying a pair of steals. Isiah Ryan connected on six of his seven attempts from the floor to finish with 15 points and four rebounds, and Kevin Benjamin registered nine points, eight rebounds, and four dimes.

The Express raced out to an 18-10 advantage in the opening 8:20 of play, but a 10-2 Broncos run over a span of 3:13 pushed Bronx ahead by a score of 22-20. Monroe-Bronx answered with a ferocious 17-3 run to catapult ahead 37-25 before taking a 41-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Monroe-Bronx's biggest second half lead was only nine points, but the Express held a seemingly-commanding eight point edge (76-68) with 3:32 remaining following a converted three-point basket by Benjamin. That is when Tilquan Rucker would take over, as the standout went on a 9-0 run by himself, connecting on a pair of trifectas, dropping-in a layup, and converting on a free throw to put the Broncos up 77-76 with 1:02 to go. After Monroe-Bronx came up empty on its next possession, Glover would race to the hoop and the lay the ball home to give Bronx a 79-76 edge with 38 ticks left.

On the Express' next trip down the floor, Wiggins misfired on a potential game-tying three point attempt. Rucker cradled the rebound, and Benjamin fouled him. Rucker proceeded to drain two freebees, putting Bronx up 81-76 with 23 seconds remaining.

The Broncos later led 82-76 with under 10 seconds to go, but the Express refused to quit as Adonis Robinson nailed a three-pointer with eight seconds to go to make it 82-79. Bronx would inbound the basketball to Glover, who got fouled with five seconds remaining. The sophomore then split the pair of shots from the charity stripe, giving Bronx an 83-79 lead. That would turn out to be the final score, as the Broncos secured the comeback victory.

Monroe-Bronx shot slightly better from the floor, hitting 44.3 percent of its shots (31-70) compared to a 42 percent conversion rate for the Broncos (29-69). The Express held a modest 33-31 edge in the rebounding department, while also tallying 17 assists to Bronx's eight. Both squads committed 15 turnovers on the evening, and the Broncos held a slight 10-8 edge in the steals category.

The Broncos will now turn their attention to Hostos Community College, as Bronx will take on the Caimans Saturday evening (7:15pm) in the semifinals, with a trip to the NJCAA Region XV championship game on the line. The contest will serve as a rematch of the 2019-2020 CUNYAC championship game, which the Caimans dominated, winning by a score of 108-86 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
 
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