Montclair, NJ- The Montclair State women's basketball team is back in action at home when it welcomes in Rutgers-Newark on Saturday evening
 
GAME INFO
Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is set for 6:00 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairstateathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 Montclair suffered a 62-53 loss on Wednesday at the hands of Rowan. 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.
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (11-6, 7-3 NJAC)
Points Per Game: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 17.7
Rebounds Per Game: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 6.9
Field Goal Percentage: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL and ALEXIS STROLLO, .486
Three Point Percentage: SAMANTHA PHILIPP, .396
Free Throw Percentage: ALEXIS STROLLO, .845
Assists: ALEXIS STROLLO, 48
Steals: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 48
Blocks: BELLA BRUCE, 19
 
RUTGERS-NEWARK (2-15, 0-10 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Quanajah Felder, 14.5
Rebounds Per Game: Raihanna, Abdus-Salaam, 4.8
Field Goal Percentage: Sanaa Brodie, .392
Three Point Percentage: Nicole Timario, .320
Free Throw Percentage: Nicole Timario, .656
Assists Per Game: Arlenny Medina, 35
Steals: Sanaa Brodie, 42
Blocks: Arlenny Medina, 9
 
SCOUTING RUTGERS-NEWARK
The Scarlet Raiders go into this matchup at 10^th in the NJAC standings with a 2-15 overall record and an 0-10 conference record. In their last game on Wednesday, they fell to Rutgers-Camden, 87-54.  In 2024-25, Rutgers-Newark compiled an overall record of 3-22 and went 0-18 in NJAC play. They are predicted to place 10th this season according to the 2025-26 NJAC Preseason Poll.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Hawks and the Scarlet Raiders face off for the 79th time in their rivalry this Saturday. Montclair owns the series at 71-7 and is currently sustaining a 27-game win streak, dating back to 2012.
 
LAST MEETING
These two teams met earlier this season on December 6, 2025, where Montclair came on top, 78-48.

UP NEXT 
Montclair State University heads to Wayne, New Jersey, on Wednesday, January 28, at 5:30 p.m. to face off with William Paterson University.