Post-Game Press Conference
Photo Gallery

Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State women's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Final Four. The Red Hawks punched their ticket on Saturday evening knocking off Salisbury 68-44 in the NCAA Sectional Final at the Panzer Athletic Center.

Senior forward MELISSA TOBIE (Elizabeth, NJ / Roselle Catholic) posted a double-double with 22 points along with 11 rebounds as Montclair will head to Grand Rapids, Michigan and Calvin College for the national semifinals on Friday, March 20.

MSU (30-1), which also set a new single-season record for victories, will take on undefeated George Fox University (31-0) at 7:30 pm with unbeaten Thomas More (31-0) meeting Tufts (30-1) at 5:00 pm. The winners meet in the national championship game on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 pm.

It will be the first appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four for the Red Hawks. Montclair State played in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Final Four in at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles in 1978 and placed third.

Senior Sarah Seipp (Gaithersburg, MD / Gaithersburg) had 13 points and six rebounds for the Sea Gulls who finished the year at 28-3 with two of the losses coming against Montclair State. Salisbury fell to the Red Hawks in the championship game of the Sheraton Parsippany Holiday Tournament in December at the Panzer Athletic Center.

For the fourth straight NCAA Tournament game the Red Hawks bolted out of the gate building a decisive advantage in the early minutes. Tobie, who was just 1-of-17 the previous evening against Bowdoin, couldn't miss in the game's early going scoring the first seven points as Montclair led 16-4 with 14:43 left in the opening period. Tobie sank her first four attempts and her layup off a steal by SAGE BENNETT (Sicklerville, NJ / Winslow) gave the Red Hawks a 25-8 lead a little past the midway point of the first half.

Montclair State shot 55 percent in the first half, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. Tobie finished with 16 points that included a layup with 2:06 to go for her 2,000^th career point. She joined Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Carol Blazejowski as the only players in MSU history (male or female) to reach that plateau. Tobie, who also registered her 19^th double-double of the year, now has 2,008 points.

Tobie would add one more basket and a layup by JANITZA AQUINO (Kearny, NJ / Kearny) with 30 seconds left gave Montclair State a 42-27 lead at the break.

In the last two NCAA Tournament contests, Montclair State would see each of its opponents cut down or erase that large deficit however that was not to be the case tonight as MSU quickly extended its lead to 20 points when Aquino drilled a three-pointer for a 49-29 lead 2:06 into the second half. Meanwhile the Red Hawk defense limited the Sea Gulls to just 6-of-31 shooting (19 percent), including 1-of-10 from three-point range.

Tobie added three assists, two blocks and two steals with Aquino finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. KATE TOBIE (Elizabeth, NJ / Roselle Catholic) chipped in with eight points and three assists. Bennett and KATIE SIRE (Hazlet, NJ / Raritan) combined for nine points and 10 rebounds.