BRONX, NY - The Bronx Broncos men's basketball team defeated the Essex Wolverines in the season-opening game, 81-78, at Alumni Gym. The Broncos opened the season in the win column with a thrilling win over a solid Essex team. 

Bronx got out to a quick lead early on, controlling the action, getting out to a 14 point lead with six minutes left in the first half. The Broncos took that lead into halftime, leading the Wolverines, 41-33. Bronx played solid defense, forced turnovers, and held Essex to an 11% shooting percentage from three-point range. 

Both teams shot better in the second half with the pace picking up. The teams shot 45% from the field while turning the ball over at a high rate. Essex had 20 team turnovers while the Bronx had 17. Essex cut the lead continuously in the second half to the point where they took a two-point lead with five minutes to go. That is the largest lead Essex would hold, as both teams traded buckets until the final minute. Freshman guard, Brandon Martinez, responded to the Essex comeback with a huge three that occurred under four minutes remaining. The game tied at 74 with two minutes remaining, the Broncos nailed crucial free throws to put the game away. Freshman guard Michael Morgan played pivotal by converting five free throws in the final minutes. Emmanuel Garcia made three free throws in that span as well to put the Broncos ahead, 81-78. Morgan and Garcia both forced crucial turnovers in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory. 

Morgan lead the Broncos in scoring with 23 points and played tenacious defense, recording seven steals. Freshman forward, Julien Shepard played big inside, scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Bronx shot 82% from the free-throw line and 37% from three in the second half to lead them to the victory. 

The Bronx Broncos improve to 1-0(0-0) on the season while the Essex Wolverines drop to 0-1. Bronx plays their first road conference game of the season on Tuesday at nationally-ranked Hostos CC, tip-off is at 7:00pm, The Broncos return home Thursday to face Westchester CC at 7:00pm in Alumni Gym.