Greencastle, IN – The magical season for the Montclair State women's basketball team ended on Friday evening as the Red Hawks suffered their first loss of the season falling to Christopher Newport 83-70 in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Sectional Tournament at DePauw University.

Sophomore forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ, Roselle Catholic) finished with 23 points and seven rebounds as the Red Hawks concluded one of the finest seasons in Montclair State history at 29-1. MSU, making its first NCAA Sectional appearance in program history, finished tied with the 1995-96 Rowan team for the best season winning percentage (.967) in New Jersey women's collegiate basketball history while its 29-game winning streak matched Rowan and the 2009-10 Kean team for the longest winning streak.

Freshman Shalette Brown (Somerset, NJ, Franklin Township) added a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds while senior Taylor Jeffers (Franklin Township, NJ, Franklin) had 11 points and seven rebounds in her final game with Montclair State. Junior Nicosia Henry (Bolingbrook, IL, Bolingbrook) chipped in with eight points, three rebounds and seven steals.

Trailing 5-4 in the opening minutes, the Red Hawks scored six straight points to take a 10-6 lead with just under 17 minutes to play. Tobie, Henry and Jeffers each had baskets in the spurt as the Red Hawks held their largest lead at 16-11 on a Tobie bucket with 13:37 to go. CNU (30-2) would come back twice to take one-point leads but Montclair would restore the five-point advantage at 33-28 with 1:56 remaining as Henry scored in the paint.

Christopher Newport would answer with the final five points, including a three-pointer by Kelly Halverson with 49 ticks to go as the teams went into the locker room deadlocked at 33-33.

In the second half, CNU forged back in front 41-37 but Montclair battled back and turned that deficit into a 47-42 lead with 12:37 left on two free throws by Sarah Kluth (Lynbrook, NY, St. Mary's).

Montclair stayed in front and led 54-52 with 8:11 remaining before the Captains embarked on a decisive 14-2 run over the next three minutes to take the lead for good. Halverson sparked a 7-0 run scoring five points helping CNU to a 59-54 lead. Tobie snapped the streak with a layup however Brandi Holland would score five consecutive points giving Christopher Newport a 66-56 lead while putting Montclair State into its largest deficit of the season. From that point on the Red Hawks got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Tia Perry led all scorers with 24 points for the Captains with Halverson and Holland finishing with 17 and 15 points, respectively. CNU outscored Montclair State 50-37 over the final 20 minutes thanks in part to 54 percent shooting (15-of-28) in the second half. Christopher Newport finished the game 28-of-52 from the floor and hit on 22-of-32 at the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Montclair State struggled from the field connecting on just 10-of-32 attempts in the second half, including all eight attempts from behind the arc. The Red Hawks Montclair shot 0-of-11 from three-point range in the game and hit on 38 percent (24-of-63) for the game.  

Montclair State, which reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995, advanced to this week's Sectionals after beating Regis College (MA), 87-47 in the first round before knocking off Lebanon Valley, 71-51 in the second round last weekend. MSU had earned its way into the NCAAs after capturing the New Jersey Athletic Conference title for the first time in 18 years.

The Red Hawks set program records for wins in a season and best start while its 29 wins to open the year is now the longest winning streak in Montclair State athletic history surpassing the previous mark of 26 by the softball team in 2008. MSU also registered the second undefeated regular-season (25-0) in program history and the ninth in its 80-plus years of athletic competition.