Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State women's basketball team (10-5, 6-2 NJAC) faced off with TCNJ (7-8, 6-2 NJAC) in a rematch of last season's NJAC Championship game on Wednesday night. The Lions got their revenge, upending the Red Hawks by a score of 84-51.  

How It Happened

• Montclair raced out to a 7-2 lead in the first three minutes of the contest, with five points coming from ALYSSA CRAIGWELL. Facing a 9-5 deficit with 4:26 remaining in the opening quarter, TCNJ flipped the switch and held Montclair scoreless down the stretch, and finished the first with a 9-0 run that pushed them out to a 14-9 lead.
• TCNJ continued the run with six unanswered points before Craigwell halted the run with a layup at the 7:30 timestamp. The Lions were effective from three, hitting from three on their next four attempts and creating a 12-2 run that put them up 33-13. The two teams battled back-and-forth the rest of the quarter, and a three-pointer from the corner by CELINA BUSSANICH at the horn wrapped up the quarter with a TCNJ advantage of 40-24.
• The Lions kept the foot on the gas coming out of the break, opening up the third with a 16-2 run in just over the first half of the third quarter that extended their lead out to 56-26. ALEXIS STROLLO hit a three-pointer and BELLA BRUCE found a bucket in the final four seconds of the quarter for Montclair, but they trailed 64-32 heading into the final quarter.
• Bruce kicked off the final frame with a three-pointer and scored seven points in a 9-0 run for Montclair during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. After a deep ball from Samantha Phillipp, TCNJ caught fire again with a 16-4 run up until the final two minutes of the game. The two programs traded blows the rest of the way, and TCNJ came away with an 84-51 triumph

Inside the Numbers

• Despite the loss, Craigwell had a solid showing with 18 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Bruce joined her in double-digits with 11 points in the contest.
• SHANNON HUGHES had some great stops on defense, tying a career high with three blocks in the matchup.
• 24 of Montclair's points came in the paint.

From the Court

• "Today was definitely not our day. TCNJ is a talented team, and they made themselves tough to defend with their impressive shooting. We will certainly learn from this one and get back to work tomorrow." Head Coach Karin Harvey

 
Up Next

• Montclair has a good bounce-back opportunity when they head to Kean on Saturday, January 17, for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.