MONTCLAIR, N.J. (Jan. 20, 2024) – The Montclair State University women's basketball team outscored Rutgers University-Camden by 22 points in the third quarter and went on to defeat the Scarlet Raptors, 69-44, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday.
 
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Montclair State, which improved to 7-11 overall and 4-7 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Camden fell to 0-18 overall and 0-11 in conference play.
 
The Scarlet Raptors never led in a game that saw Montclair State University score the first five points, but the Red Hawks only held a 19-14 lead after one quarter. Rutgers-Camden cut its deficit to one point on four occasions in the second quarter (18-19, 20-21, 22-23 and 24-25) before the Red Hawks built a 36-27 halftime lead.
 
After the teams traded field goals to open the third quarter, with the Red Hawks getting a trey, Montclair State went on a 17-point run to run its lead to 56-29. The Red Hawks outscored the Scarlet Raptors, 27-5, in the third quarter overall to take a 63-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Junior guard Brianna Montajes finished with 12 points to lead a quartet of Red Hawks in double figures. Three players – junior forward/center Olivia Vero, and sophomore guards Shannon Hughes and Isabella Orlando – scored 11 points apiece. Vero also had a team-high eight rebounds to help the Red Hawks hold a 53-38 advantage off the boards.
 
Senior guard Rahzirah Blocker paced Rutgers-Camden with a game-high 22 points, hiking her career total to 1,022, while freshman guard Maniya Simon added nine points. Freshman center Gabrielle Balter, making her first career start, collected a game- and career-high 12 rebounds, including 11 off the defensive boards.
 
Montclair State shot 26-for-69 (37.7 percent) from the floor and 12-for-16 (75.0) from the foul line. Rutgers-Camden shot 15-for-58 (25.9) from the floor and 13-for-22 (59.1) from the line.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. game at Stockton University.