MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Poor shooting did in the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (3-7) Monday night, as it dropped a non-conference contest to Montclair State University (4-4), 70-51, at the Panzer Athletic Center in Montclair, N.J.

New Paltz kept pace with the Red Hawks in the first half, trailing by only five at 30-25 heading into the break. The Hawks cut the lead down to three  at 34-31 early in the second half following a layup by senior forward Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers), but Montclair State responded by reeling off an 18-5 run to extend its lead to 52-36 with 9:31 remaining. Montclair State never looked back as the Hawks couldn't cut the deficit below 14 the rest of the game.

The Hawks struggled shooting all night, shooting just 30.9 percent (17-of-44) from the field and 20 percent (2-of-10) from behind the arc. The bench scoring was a major factor in this contest, as the Red Hawks' bench was able to contribute 25 points, compared to New Paltz's 14 points from reserves.

The Hawks were led in scoring by junior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central), who dropped in 12 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Bradley came up two points short of a double-double, as she poured in eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Jeanette Scott (West Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) chipped in with four points and six rebounds off the bench.

For the host Red Hawks, Jaime Ericson led the way with 19 points, with 11 of them coming in the second half. Michelle Montagna added 16 points, in addition to three rebounds and two assists.

New Paltz won't play again until after the New Year. The Hawks will look to get back in the win column when they host Eastern Connecticut State University at the Hawk Center on Wednesday, Jan. 4.