Jersey City, NJ: The Montclair State women's basketball team overcame an 11-point first-quarter deficit en route to a 67-58 win over host New Jersey City University in the NJAC regular-season finale Saturday.

The Red Hawks (6-1, 6-0 NJAC) and Gothic Knights (6-2, 6-2 NJAC) will find out the seeding and matchups for the NJAC Tournament later on this weekend.

The Gothic Knights played stingy defense early, forcing Montclair State into four consecutive turnovers and without a field goal over the opening 7:39 of the frame. The hosts used the early steam to build a 15-4 lead one, with rookie Damaris Rodriguez leading NJCU with eight first-quarter points.

The lead swelled to 13 at 21-8 on a jumper by Nahjeemah Holmes, but the Red Hawks were able to right the ship and battle back. Rookie KENDALL HODGES and junior JULIA SUTTON hit jumpers on consecutive trips down the floor, which kick-started a 9-2 rally by Montclair. Sutton capped off the run with a triple off a feed from sophomore TRINITY STACKHOUSE.

The junior wasn't finished just yet, hitting a second three-pointer at the 2:38 mark to make it a one-possession game. Senior KAYLA BUSH registered a layup with 41 seconds left in the quarter to close out first-half scoring, with MSU trailing 31-28.

After shooting just 11.1% in the first quarter, the Red Hawks shot a blistering 56.3% (9-of-16) from the floor and only turned the ball over once. Sutton and Hodges combined for 18 points in the opening 20 minutes of play, as Holmes led all scorers with 11 points.

MSU battled back and pulled even at 31 on a layup by KELLY SMITH, but a Mya Neal layup at 4:52 pushed the edge back to five at 37-32. Sutton once again came up big, hitting a pair of three-pointers to give the Red Hawks a lead they would not relinquish. Montclair ended the third quarter on a 15-3 spurt to end the period up seven. Sutton contributed eight points during the rally.

NJCU notched the fourth quarter's first five points, trimming the gap to just three at 47-44. As she had done last night and earlier, Sutton drilled a three to double the lead once again. With 5:37 left, Hodges found junior TRISHA PETERSON, and she hit from beyond the arc. The Red Hawks free throw shooting was clutch down the stretch, converting eight from the line over the final 3:33 to seal the victory.

The Red Hawks shot 42% (21-of-50) from the floor, including 9-of-19 from deep, while NJCU was 21-of-67 from the field and just 15-of-57 from inside the arc. Sutton led the way with a career-high 27 points, while Hodges chipped in 14 points and six assists. Peterson narrowly missed a double-double, finishing the contest with nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Smith and Bush each added six rebounds in the victory. Rodriguez recorded 18 points in the setback to pace the Gothic Knights.