Montclair, NJ (2/8/11) – Senior forward Kisandra Ayanbeku (Brockton, Mass./Randolph) scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Montclair State University past Stevens, 50-47, in a non-conference contest Tuesday night at the Panzer Athletic Center.

Montclair State, which evened its record at 11-11 on the season, held an 11-point lead in the second half, but had to hold on until the very end for the victory.

The Red Hawks took control of the game in the first half. Tied 14-14 with 6:33 to play, MSU went on a 9-0 run, including the first seven points by Ayanbeku, to gain a 23-14 advantage with 2:29 remaining before heading into the halftime intermission ahead 23-19.

Montclair State continued its dominance at the start of the second half, outscoring its opponent 11-4, including seven more points from Ayanbeku, to take a 34-23 lead, the Red Hawks' biggest margin of the game, with 13:26 left.

Stevens (15-5), which dropped its second consecutive game for first time this season, did not give in to Montclair State. The Ducks, whose only lead in the game was at 2-0 at the start, rallied back and cut the MSU deficit to just one at 48-47 with 34 seconds to go.

Following a missed free throw by Montclair State freshman guard Teresa Towns (Morristown, N.J./Morristown), who contributed 10 points, Stevens had a chance to take the lead. Junior forward Jillian Barrett (Philadelphia/Central), who topped Stevens with 12 points, missed an uncontested layup with 1 second left.

Junior guard Jaime Ericson (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) then hit two free throws for Montclair State with 0.3 left on the clock. Barrett, who banked in the game-winning three pointer against Utica on January 28, nearly had a chance to redeem herself.  But,  a game-tying shot attempt from just in front of the midcourt stripe was banked in just after the buzzer sounded.

Junior forward Victoria Webber (Silver Spring, Md./Ocean Township) and junior guard Dawn Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Ford) each scored 11 points apiece and senior center Victoria O'Connor (Westwood, N.J./Saddle River Day School) had a game-high nine rebounds for Stevens.

Montclair State travels to play Rutgers-Newark in a New Jersey Athletic Conference on Saturday. The Red Hawks are currently a half-game behind the Scarlet Raiders for second place in the NJAC North Division.

Stevens plays host to Nazareth College on Friday in an Empire 8 Conference matchup.