Caguas, PR – The Montclair State women's basketball team (7-2) was tripped up in its opening game of the Puerto Rico Clasico by Redlands (6-1) by a score of 65-47 on Thursday afternoon.

How It Happened

• The Red Hawks had the early advantage, jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the first half of the opening stanza. ALYSSA CRAIGWELL and ALEXIS STROLLO each nabbed five points in that run. The Bulldogs swung the game in their favor with a 9-4 run, taking advantage of turnovers and their trips to the free throw line to take a 13-12 lead. SHANNON HUGHES hit a jumper to retake the lead with 25 seconds remaining, but a last-second layup gave Redlands a 15-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
• The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams exchanging buckets. Montclair tried to take back the lead, but Redlands answered every time. The closest they came was with a Strollo layup at the 3:31 timestamp, which cut the lead to 24-22. Redlands responded with a 5-2 run down the stretch to hold a 29-24 lead at the half.
• Redlands kicked off the half with two made buckets before a made field goal by Craigwell put the game at a Bulldogs lead of 33-26. The game once again saw a battle with both teams trading scores. A driving layup by Strollo cut the lead to 40-34 with just under half of the third frame remaining, but Redlands took control of the game with a 10-1 run that saw them up by a double-digit lead of 50-35. A pair of made free throws and another last-second made field goal by Redlands put the score at 52-37 at the end of three.
• The final quarter was kicked off by shots made by both BELLA BRUCE and Strollo. The Bulldogs answered back with a trio of made field goals and put their lead up to 58-41. Despite a valiant attempt to make a comeback, Montclair was unable to generate a true run, and they eventually fell by a score of 65-47

Inside the Numbers

• Despite the loss, Craigwell and Strollo were both exceptional in the game
  • Craigwell finished with a team-leading 18 points and nabbed four rebounds
  • Strollo shot 6-for-8 for 13 points and had three rebounds.
• Bruce collected six points and a season-high eight rebounds to go along with two rebounds and a steal.
• The Red Hawks scored 32 points in the paint and notched 17 points off turnovers.

From the Court

• "Credit to a very good team - we ran into a tough challenge tonight. While the result was not what we wanted, this game showed us exactly where we need to grow. I'm proud of our fight, and we'll use this experience to get better, tighten up the details, and be more prepared the next time we're in this moment." Head Coach Karin Harvey

 
Up Next

• Montclair will look to bounce back in its second and final game of the Puerto Rico Clasico, facing Susquehanna on Friday, December 19 at 11:00 a.m. EST.