Montclair, NJ – Senior forwards Alesha Marcks (Northampton, Pa/Northampton) and Alexis Wright (Shillington, Pa each turned in double-double performances to lead Moravian College to a 65-58 victory over Montclair State University in a non-conference contest Monday evening at the Panzer Athletic Center.
Marcks scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Wright had 11 points and 12 rebounds as Moravian upped its record to 6-1 on the season with its sixth straight win.
The Greyhounds outscored MSU 13-6 over the final 3:37 of the game to seal the victory. With the score tied at 52-52 with 3:37 remaining, Moravian got back-to-back baskets from junior forward
CAMILLE MCPHERSON (West Orange, NJ/Mount Saint Dominic Academy), who tied for game-high scoring honors with 15 points, and Marcks to pull ahead for good at 56-52 with 2:15 left.
Montclair State, ranked ninth in the nation in the USA Today Women's Basketball Coaches Association Poll, suffered its first loss of the year in falling to 4-1 on the year. The Red Hawks also snapped a 12-game home winning streak, dating back to January 14, 2015, and had previously won 55 of their last 56 games at home.
MSU, which led 17-12 after the first quarter and 23-22 at the half, was held scoreless for more than nine minutes between the end of the second quarter and the start of the third. The Red Hawks, after falling behind by as many as nine points at 34-25 at the 5:58 mark of the third quarter, rallied back.
Trailing 47-39 at the start of the final stanza, MSU quickly erased the deficit. The Red Hawks scored the first nine points in a 11-2 run to go ahead 50-49 with 4:42 to play following a steal and layup by junior guard
ZOE CURTIS (Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank Regional).
After the final tie at 52-52, Montclair State narrowed the lead one last time at 56-55 with 1:44 to play, but could never get closer as Moravian made 9-of-10 from the foul line to close out the contest.
Sophomore swingman
KATIE SIRE (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) and sophomore guard Katie Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) topped MSU. Sire turned in her third double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds with Tobie tying for team-high honors with 13 points along with a game-high five assists.
Montclair State, undefeated (2-0) in conference play, travels to Rutgers-Newark for a NJAC contest on Wednesday evening at 6 pm..
