Montclair, NJ – Freshman guard Jada Thompson finished with 22 points as Ramapo College got some key points down the stretch for a 73-66 win over Montclair State at the Panzer Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.
Shannon Burns and Bridget Cahill added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Roadrunners, who improved to 4-1 on the season while squaring their NJAC record a 1-1.
Sophomore guard MEGAN DUFFY pumped in a game-high 23 points in addition to pulling down five rebounds for Montclair State, which fell to 1-4 overall, 0-2 in conference play.
The Roadrunners jumped out to a 26-19 lead after one but saw that advantage trimmed to a single point by halftime. NICKIE CARTER led a 16-10 half-ending run by the Red Hawks over the last 6:21 of the quarter. Carter had six points and Duffy five. KENDALL HODGES got the final points on a step-back jumper with three seconds cutting the Roadrunner lead to 38-37.
Montclair State would take the lead for the first time with just under eight minutes left in the third as JULIA SUTTON put back a rebound for a 41-40 advantage. That triggered several lead changes, with Ramapo going back on top 44-43 after Olivia Johnstone hit from behind the arc, making the score 47-43 with 5:21 to play. Ramapo led 54-48, heading into the fourth.
The Red Hawks opened the final period with an 11-2 run, taking a 59-56 advantage on two free throws by Hodges with 4:38 to go. The Roadrunners answered in a row, six by Thompson, whose three-point play made the score 64-59 with just over two minutes remaining.
Carter sank three free throws, cutting the deficit to two points with 50 seconds. However, Thompson made two of her own for a 66-62 Ramapo lead with 29 seconds. Duffy countered immediately with a bucket off a timeout and did it again after two free throws by Cahill putting the score at 68-66 with 19 seconds.
The Roadrunners missed an opportunity to push the lead higher missing two at the line with 14 seconds. However, Thompson came up with a huge rebound on the second miss. After being fouled, Thompson connected twice more for a 70-66 lead. Burns added the final three points, including a put-back on the second of her foul shots with eight seconds for the final margin.
Hodges and Sutton each had 11 points for the Red Hawks. Hodges also grabbed eight rebounds along with four assists, as did TRISHA PETERSON. Carter handed out six assists.
Montclair is on the road for its next contest on Saturday, December 4. The Red Hawks will be in Ewing, NJ, taking on The College of New Jersey at 1:00 pm.
