Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State women's basketball team (15-9, 11-6 NJAC) saw its best first-half scoring of the season and used the red-hot start to ignite an 83-38 victory against Kean (2-19, 2-15 NJAC) on Saturday afternoon.

How It Happened

• The Red Hawks converted on their first three shots from beyond the arc to jump out to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. Montclair clung on to a double-digit lead for most of the quarter. At a score of 23-13 with just over a minute and a half remaining, ALEXIS STROLLO took over the rest of the quarter. She scored eight unanswered points, including a layup with just two seconds remaining in the period, and gave Montclair a 31-13 advantage.
• No team was able to find a shot in the first minute of the second. It wasn't until the 8:44 mark that a bucket by BELLA BRUCE sparked a 15-0 run to give the Red Hawks a commanding 46-13 lead at the 3:54 timestamp. Kean found its first bucket of the quarter shortly after, but was outscored 8-2 down the stretch, and Montclair took a 54-17 edge into halftime.
• The third frame was much like the second. The Cougars tipped in the first basket of the second half, before Montclair responded with a Strollo three and two good layups from ALYSSA CRAIGWELL to hold a 61-19 lead. After another bucket from the Cougars, the Red Hawks held Kean to just two points down the stretch in the third, while generating 14 more points for a 75-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
• Montclair took its foot off the gas in the fourth. Kean scored six unanswered before CELINA BUSSANICH connected on a shot at the 5:45 mark. The Cougars put together an 8-1 run before KATIE DICHTER found five points late in the period, and the Red Hawks put the bow on an 82-38 triumph in their regular-season home finale.

Inside the Numbers

• Before the game, Montclair honored its three seniors for their contributions to the program, on and off the court. Those seniors are ALEXIS STROLLO, ISABELLA ORLANDO, and SHANNON HUGHES.
• Craigwell led the way with 22 points in the contest. She also nabbed four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
• Strollo showed out on her senior day, scoring 11 points and dishing out a season-high eight assists in the game.
• Montclair also saw double-digit scoring performances from Bruce and Bussanich. Bruce finished with 13 points and led the team with seven rebounds. Bussanich scored 11 and connected on three shots from deep.
• The Red Hawks had one of their most efficient deep-ball performances of the season, finishing with a .462 percentage that included .667 (6-for-9) and .714 (5-for-7) in the first half.

From the Court

"Great win tonight! So happy for our three seniors, Shannon, Isabella, and Alexis. We are so fortunate to have such amazing women in our program!" Head Coach Karin Harvey.  

Up Next

Montclair heads to TCNJ for its final regular-season showdown of the season on Wednesday, February 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.