Montclair, NJ – Putting four in double-figures, the Montclair State University women's basketball team took down Ramapo 78-59 on Wednesday night at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (13-8, 9-5 NJAC) rattled off the first seven points of the night on a pair of layups from MADISON MARCOTTE and ALEXIS STROLLO, capped off by a long distance shot from BELLA BRUCE at the 7:53 mark of the opening stanza. Ramapo battled back into the contest, as a layup with three and a half minutes on the clock cut the deficit to 13-8 before Montclair countered on the next possession with a three-pointer from SHANNON HUGHES. A free throw from Strollo a minute later pushed the difference to double-digits, with threes from CELINA BUSSANICH and SAMANTHA PHILIPP pushing the home lead to 13 points. Ramapo tallied three of the final five points over the remainder of the quarter to make the score 27-15 after 10 minutes.
• Montclair continued its strong shooting into the second quarter as Bussanich drained another three to extend the advantage to 15. Following a pair of buckets from the Roadrunners, Strollo connected on a long range shot off a feed from Hughes with six and a half minutes remaining in the period. Ramapo utilized another pair of buckets to climb back within 12, but the Red Hawks countered with the final eight points of the half spanning three minutes. Bruce converted two free throws, with Philipp hitting a three off a steal from ISABELLA ORLANDO. Montclair capped off the half with a long distance shot from Hughes at the buzzer to make the score 45-25 at the break.
• Philipp collected a pair of free throws on the possession coming out of halftime to nudge the lead to a game-high 22, as the Roadrunners answered with a 11-3 scoring run over the next three minutes to cut the gap to 14. Bussanich ended the stretch with another three-point shot, but another 12-3 stretch for Ramapo over the next three minutes brought the visitors within single digits, 56-48, with 1:37 on the clock. Bruce pushed the advantage back to double figures on a driving layup following a Montclair timeout, with Ramapo notching the final two points of the quarter to make the score 58-50 going into the final stanza.
• A three-pointer from the Roadrunners 50 seconds into the fourth quarter cut the game to two possessions, with the visitors trailing 61-55 a minute later. Hughes converted an and-one opportunity 90 seconds later to provide the counter, with Strollo pushing the gap back to double-digits on a layup with 6:31 on the clock. Following a free throw from Ramapo, Philipp kicked off a 12-0 scoring run for the Red Hawks over the ensuing three and a half minutes, pouring in nine points during that stretch. The visitors knocked down a three-pointer on the next possession, with the two sides holding each other scoreless over the remainder of the contest, sealing the victory for the Red Hawks.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Bussanich and Philipp led the way offensively for Montclair, each pouring in 17 points. For Bussanich, her performance marked a new career-high, knocking down five three-pointers en route to her second career double-digit game.
• Hughes was close behind with a season-best 15 points, draining 4-of-8 three point attempts while adding six boards.
• Strollo was the final Red Hawk in double figures with 13 points, collecting a team-high five assists to help orchestrate the offense. She has scored 10 or more points in each of her last four games.
• For the game, Montclair shot 42 percent from the floor and 45 percent from beyond the arc, their second-best mark of the campaign.
• Defensively, the Red Hawks forced 20 turnovers during the contest, marking the 11th time this season they have reached that milestone.

FROM THE COURT

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UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to Stockton on Saturday, January 7. Tip-off from Galloway, NJ is scheduled for 3:00 PM.