Mahwah, NJ – Junior guard NICKIE CARTER finished with 16 points, and seven rebounds as Montclair State fought off Ramapo College for a 70-65 victory at the Bradley Center on Wednesday evening.
Sophomore MEGAN DUFFY added 13 points and TRISHA PETERSON 12 for the Red Hawks (10-7, 8-4 NJAC), who captured their fourth straight victory while also winning the rubber match with the Roadrunners (7-8, 6-6 NJAC).
The teams were meeting for the third time this season, each winning on the other's home floor in the conference contest. Ramapo recorded a 73-66 win in Montclair back on December 1. Montclair avenged that with a 55-45 triumph at the Panzer Athletic Center in a non-conference game on January 8.
Jackie Ventricelli led all players with 20 points for Ramapo.
Montclair State trailed 19-16 at the end of the first quarter and was behind by the same margin late in the second before scoring the final six points to take the lead. Duffy connected on a jumper with 3:09 left, and a free throw by Carter with a minute remaining tied the game at 27-27. A three-pointer by JULIA SUTTON ahead of the first-half buzzer put MSU in front 30-27 heading into the break.
After three quarters, Montclair increased the advantage to five points and held on to it through the end, fending off several Roadrunner challenges throughout the final period. Jada Thompson got Ramapo within 49-48 early. However, Hodges answered with a layup, and Duffy added a field goal making the score 53-48 with 7:39 to go.
Thompson would score again, trimming the lead back to two, but again the Red Hawks countered as Sutton drained a jumper with Carter nailing a three with 6:04 left, boosting MSU's advantage back to 58-51. Ramapo got back within one possession with 1:33 on the clock as Bridget Cahill sank a three for a 63-60 Red Hawk lead.
Hodges scored on a layup at the other end, but two foul shots by Ventricelli with 54 seconds put the score at 65-62. Carter came up with a clutch three-point play widening the lead to 68-62 with 30 seconds remaining. Hodges, who finished with 10 points, tacked on a free throw with 15 seconds and hit another with six ticks left to seal the victory.
Peterson grabbed six rebounds, with Duffy adding five along with three assists. Sutton tallied nine points for Montclair, which turned 18 Roadrunner turnovers into 19 points. MSU also registered 19 second-chance points compared to just three for the hosts.
The Red Hawks are scheduled to be back at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday, January 29, hosting Stockton University. The tipoff of the NJAC contest is 3:00 pm. MSU won the first meeting between the teams back in December with a 60-55 victory in Galloway, NJ.
