Montclair, NJ- The Montclair State University women's basketball team looks to bounce back as they face off with New Jersey City on Wednesday night.

GAME INFO
Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center in Montclair, NJ, is slated for 5:00 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairathletics.com.

LAST TIME OUT
Montclair couldn't stave off Stockton in their rematch against the Ospreys on Saturday, and lost 71-63 in the final minutes. The Red Hawks (13-9, 9-6 NJAC) fell behind early as Stockton notched the first six points of the afternoon over the opening two and a half minutes. ALEXIS STROLLO got Montclair on the board with a driving layup, but another pair of baskets from the home side pushed their lead to eight, 10-2, as the stanza crossed its halfway point. SHANNON HUGHES found ALYSSA CRAIGWELL for a layup at the 4:22 mark to cut into the margin, but the Ospreys tallied the game's next nine points to build a 15-point lead with two minutes on the clock. BELLA BRUCE and Craigwell combined for four of the final five points of the quarter to make the score 20-8 after 10 minutes. Montclair came out strong to begin the second frame, as Strollo fed ISABELLA ORLANDO for a long distance make, leading to another layup from Strollo on the next possession to make it a seven-point game. After Stockton countered with a turnaround jumper, Orlando drained another three-pointer to bring the visitors within two possessions with 7:12 on the clock. The Ospreys expanded the difference back to eight, with the two sides trading baskets up until the 3:23 mark, where they notched seven consecutive points to reopen a 13-point advantage with under two minutes left. Montclair tallied two of the final three points of the half, as the home side went into the break up 34-22. The Red Hawks mounted another push to kick off the second half, rattling off the quarter's first eight points. Craigwell kicked off the stretch with an and-one conversion, followed by a CELINA BUSSANICH three-pointer and a jumper from Craigwell to force a Stockton timeout after two minutes. Holding a six-point advantage with six minutes on the clock, the Ospreys conceded six of the next eight points, capped off by a layup from Bruce to make the difference one possession. Trailing by six with 3:39 remaining in the quarter, MADISON MARCOTTE and Bruce hit jumpers to cut the game to 42-40, with a three-pointer from Craigwell at the two minute mark making it a one-point game. The home side tallied seven of the final 11 points to go into the final stanza up 51-47. Craigwell hit a jumper in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, and after Stockton responded with one of their own, Hughes drained a three-pointer to once again make it a one-point game, with 8:12 remaining. In a low-scoring period, the Ospreys tallied the game's next three points over the next two and a half minutes before Orlando connected on her third long-range attempt. After generating a turnover on the next possession, Montclair took the lead on a driving layup from Bruce with 3:43 on the clock, forcing a timeout from the home side. Stockton countered with a 8-0 run over the next three minutes to build a 64-57 advantage with 49 seconds on the clock. 

TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (13-9, 9-6 NJAC)
Points Per Game: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 16.8
Rebounds Per Game: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 7.2
Field goal percentage: ALEXIS STROLLO, .480
Three Point Percentage: SAMANTHA PHILIPP, .379
Free throw Percentage: ALEXIS STROLLO, .830
Assists: ALEXIS STROLLO, 67
Steals: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 59
Blocks: ALYSSA CRAIGWELL, 27

NEW JERSEY CITY (8-14, 6-9 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Meghan Gentile, 20.3
Rebounds Per Game: Autumn John, 10.3
Field goal percentage: Autumn John, .400
Three Point Percentage: Meghan Gentile, .335
Free throw Percentage: Meghan Gentile, .902
Assists: Bailey Cassell, 61
Steals: Bailey Cassell, 32
Blocks: Autumn John, 21

SCOUTING NEW JERSEY CITY 
The Gothic Knights enter this battle with an 8-14 overall record and a 6-9 NJAC record, following their 83-65 defeat at the hands of William Paterson on Saturday. Last season, NJCU posted an overall record of 10-16, but a 9-9 NJAC record qualified them for the conference tournament as the sixth seed. However, they suffered a 55-54 defeat in the quarterfinals at the hands of William Paterson. In 2025-26, they are projected to place seventh in the NJAC according to the preseason poll, but did receive a first-place vote. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Red Hawks and the Gothic Knights face each other for the 82nd time in their rivalry. Montclair is on top of the series with a dominant record of 71-10. Montclair has won three matchups in a row before NJCU had a six-game winning streak on them beforehand. 

LAST MEETING
Montclair and NJCU faced off last on January 7, 2026, with Montclair coming out victorious, 76-48. 

UP NEXT 
Montclair State University will honor its three seniors before hosting its final home regular-season game of the year against Kean on Saturday, February 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.