Ewing, NJ – Junior
NICKIE CARTER scored a season-high 29 points as the Montclair State women's basketball team overcame a 13-point first quarter to top The College of New Jersey 60-54 Saturday.
The Red Hawks (2-4, 1-2 NJAC) outscored the Lions (4-4, 2-1 NJAC) 56-37 over the final three quarters to earn their first NJAC win of the year and snap a three-game losing streak.
The Lions held Montclair to just four free throws in the first quarter and kept them off the board for the final 5:21 of the frame. The Red Hawks chipped away at the double-digit deficit by opening the second period on a 6-0 run. TCNJ would push the lead back to 12, but Carter started a 7-0 spurt with a shot from beyond the arc. The Red Hawks finished the quarter with six of the final seven markers, with
KENDALL HODGES and
OLIVIA VERO scoring in the last six seconds.
After going 0-for-11 from the field in the opening frame, Montclair shot 11-of-16 from the floor in the second and entered halftime trailing by just a pair.
The two sides struggled to find points in the third period, but the Red Hawks did just enough to level things at 39 entering the fourth. Hodges was the catalyst, scoring the final five points, including a layup with 1:37 remaining to pull the game level for the first time since there was 6:15 left in the first quarter.
The teams traded points opening the fourth, and the score was tied five times before Carter snapped a 53-all score with a layup. The Red Hawks forced a pair of misses before Carter converted a layup and gave Montclair a four-point lead which was their largest at that point. TCNJ closed to within three, but Carter drained three free throws down the stretch to help MSU close out the win.
Carter shot 8-of-13 from the field and was 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, as Hodges and
JULIA SUTTON chipped in 11. Vero provided a spark off the bench, notching four points, four blocks, three rebounds, and three steals. Julia Setaro and Arianna McCleod combined for 40 points in the setback for TCNJ.
The Red Hawks return home on Wednesday to host William Paterson University at 6 pm.
