Glassboro, NJ – The Montclair State University women's basketball team fell to Rowan 62-53 in a NJAC road contest on Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (11-6, 7-3 NJAC) opened the evening with a basket on the first possession of the contest, as ALEXIS STROLLO found ALYSSA CRAIGWELL for a jumper close to the rim. Rowan countered with the game's next 12 points over the ensuing 4:37 before Craigwell drove to the basket for a layup. A minute later, the home side accumulated seven of the next nine points to build a 13 point advantage with just under two and a half minutes remaining in the stanza. The Red Hawks notched back-to-back buckets on a driving layup from CELINA BUSSANICH and jumper from Craigwell to climb within single digits, but the Profs hit a three-pointer in the waning seconds to make the margin 24-12 after one quarter.
• Craigwell continued to pace the Red Hawks in the beginning stages of the second, hitting two baskets to bring the visitors within 10. With the margin the same at the 6:44 mark of the period, Montclair rattled off six consecutive points with the combination of Strollo, Craigwell, and BELLA BRUCE to cut the difference to two possessions at 28-22. The home side responded with a 6-2 run over the following two minutes to push their lead back to double-digits. Craigwell strung together another four points, but Rowan closed the half with four of the final five points to make the score 38-29.
• Coming out of the break, SAMANTHA PHILIPP brought Montclair within seven on the opening possession. The Profs answered with a 8-2 scoring run over the next three and a half minutes to push the difference back to 13 with 4:14 on the clock. Strollo countered with a driving layup on the next trip up the floor, and shortly after a free throw from Rowan, Philipp hit a pull up jumper to bring the visitors to within 10. Both sides tightened up defensively, with neither team scoring over the remainder of the frame with the score sitting at 47-37.
• After the Profs opened the fourth quarter with a shot from beyond the arc, Montclair notched the next seven points, led by five from Strollo, to cut the game to 50-44 with 7:44 remaining. Rowan embarked on a 11-3 scoring run over the next four minutes to build a double-digit lead once again, 61-47, with three minutes on the clock. The Red Hawks mounted one final push, kicked off by a jumper from Philipp on the next possession. Just over a minute later, ISABELLA ORLANDO drove to the rim for a layup, and a steal from Craigwell on the ensuing possession led to a bucket on the other end to make the margin seven with 1:17 left. 

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Craigwell finished with a game-high 24 points while adding a team-high eight boards. The sophomore has notched back-to-back 20-point performances and six for the season.
• Strollo tallied nine points, with Philipp accumulating eight on 4-for-8 shooting from the field.

FROM THE COURT

"We made a push late to try and battle back, but unfortunately came up short in a tough NJAC battle. We will look to bounce back on Saturday at home." - Head Coach Karin Harvey

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will host Rutgers-Newark for their first-ever SupportHER game on Saturday, January 24. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 6:00 PM.