Montclair, NJ – Junior forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ, Roselle Catholic) registered her second double-double in the last three games with 19 points and 14 rebounds as No. 11/14 Montclair State won its seventh straight game with a 70-44 victory over New Jersey City University on Wednesday evening.
Senior forward Nicosia Henry (Bolingbrook, IL, Bolingbrook) added 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Red Hawks (21-2, 15-1 NJAC), who swept the season series from the Gothic Knights while improving to 53-3 in the all-time series, including wins in the last 22 meetings.
Junior guard Janitza Aquino (Kearny, NJ, Kearny), who had five assists, finished with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers as she tied the MSU single-season mark with 54 set by Jaime Ericson during the 2010-2011 campaign.
Junior guard Ashley Vazquez (Jersey City, NJ / Marist) had 17 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Gothic Knights (8-15, 5-11 NJAC), who dropped their second straight. Freshman Bria Smith (Bayonne, NJ / St. Dominic Academy) registered a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds with freshman Kiana Briggs (Paterson, NJ / Passaic County Tech) adding 10 points and seven boards.
New Jersey City led 8-6 with 14:11 to play in the opening half before Montclair State went on a 20-2 run, including a 9-0 spurt over the next seven minutes to take a double-digit lead. Kayla Ceballos (Brooklyn, NY, Christ the King) began the run with a three-pointer and freshman Rachael Krauss (Farmingdale, NJ, Colts Neck) scored the next four points for a 13-8 lead. Henry beat the shot clock with a three pointer for a 17-8 advantage and later added a layup that gave the Red Hawks a 26-10 lead with 7:05 to play.
Krauss, who had all seven of her points in the first half, hit again from behind the arc to widen the lead to 33-14 as the Red Hawks took a 35-17 lead into the break.
The MSU lead would not dip below 14 points the rest of the way.
Tobie, the NJAC Player of the Week, added four assists and two blocks to complete her night while Ceballos collected eight points and three rebounds.
Montclair State turned 20 NJCU turnovers in to 22 points and saw its bench outscore the Gothic Knights, 22-5.
Both teams are in action on Saturday, February 15 with NJAC contests. Montclair State hosts Kean University at 3:00 pm on Senior Day while the Gothic Knights entertain The College of New Jersey in a 5:00 pm matchup in Jersey City.