Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. – Senior guard Janitza Aquino (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and senior forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) scored 22 points apiece to lead the nationally-ranked Montclair State University women's basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 66-50, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.
 
Montclair State, the ninth-ranked team in the country in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll and No. 11 in this week's USA Today Division III Coaches Top 25, improves to 21-1 overall and 14-1 in the NJAC with its seventh straight win. The Red Hawks have won 18 straight against Rutgers-Camden and lead the all-time series, 38-15.
 
Rutgers-Camden falls to 8-14 overall and 4-11 in the conference.
 
The two teams were tied three times in the first half, with the last time at 23-23 before the Red Hawks' Aquino drained a three-pointer with 50 seconds left to give Montclair State a 26-23 lead at the break. Aquino had 10 points at halftime for the Red Hawks, while freshman forward Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) had nine for the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Although the Scarlet Raptors cut the gap to one point, 26-25, on a layup by senior guard/forward Irene Grimanis (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester) to start the second half, they never regained the lead. With the score 36-32, the Red Hawks broke things open by scoring 12 of the next 14 points, including five by Aquino and three by Melissa Tobie. The closest the Raptors came after that was 10 points (57-47) with 3:03 remaining.
 
In addition to her 22 points, Melissa Tobie, the oldest of a pair of Tobie sisters on the team, added eight rebounds, and game-high totals of seven assists, four steals and two blocked shots.
 
Aquino, who shot 9-for-15 from the floor including 4-for-9 from three-point range, added three assists and three boards for the Red Hawks. Freshman guard/forward Katie Sire (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) added eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Camden received 17 points from senior guard Alex Gravinese (Audubon, NJ/Audubon), including 5-for-11 shooting from three-point range. She hiked her Rutgers-Camden career record to 158 treys.
 
Freshman forward Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) added 11 points and seven rebounds, while senior center Tanjae Lewis (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) notched eight points. Lewis also tied her freshman teammate Cara Racobaldo (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) with a team-high four assists, while Racobaldo also grabbed seven boards to tie Obasi for the team high.
 
Montclair State shot 23-for-51 (45.1 percent) from the floor, including 8-for-19 (42.1) from three-point range. The Red Hawks were 12-for-14 (85.7) from the foul line.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 19-for-56 (33.9) from the floor, including 5-for-16 from three-point range.
 
Both teams had 33 rebounds and Rutgers-Camden had 18 turnovers to Montclair State's 15.
 
Both teams return to NJAC action with 6 p.m. road games on Wednesday. Montclair State travels to Rowan University, while Rutgers-Camden visits Rutgers-Newark.