San Juan, Puerto Rico – Senior Nicosia Henry (Bolingbrook, IL, Bolingbrook) scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the second half as No. 11 Montclair State limited Salisbury University to just 17 points over the final 20 minutes helping the Red Hawks to a 70-53 win in the San Juan Shootout on Sunday.

Junior forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ, Roselle Catholic) added 18 points as MSU (10-1) won its fourth straight game.

Tobie scored 14 points and Henry 11 in the first half however a solid shooting effort by Salisbury (4-5) helped the Sea Gulls forge a 36-36 tie after 20 minutes. After the teams traded the lead several times in the opening minutes, the Red Hawks built a 19-11 advantage with 11:01 to play as Janitza Aquino (Kearny, NJ, Kearny) sank a pair of free throws.

A layup by Tobie with 1:21 to play gave Montclair a 36-29 lead however the Sea Gulls scored the final seven points, including two foul shots from Anna Hackett with 20 seconds to go as the game was knotted at 36-36.

In the second half the MSU defense forced three turnovers in the first minute which turned the tight contest into a nine-point lead for MSU. Sarah Kluth (Lynbrook, NY, St. Mary's) converted a three-point play and later added another basket before a Henry score with 17:59 remaining put the Red Hawks in front 45-36. Salisbury cut the deficit by a point with 15:42 left however Aquino scored in the paint and Rachael Krauss (Farmingdale, NJ, Colts Neck) drained a three-pointer a minute later as Montclair widened its lead to 53-40.

Melanie Mocniak would hit from behind the mark for Salisbury which got the deficit back under double-digits inside 14 minutes but Henry answered with a basket and Aquino, who finished with nine points, converted a three-point play with 10:25 giving Montclair a 58-45 advantage.

The Red Hawks would lead by double digits the remainder of the game.

Henry added seven rebounds and three steals for Montclair State while Tobie added four rebounds, four assists, three blocks and four steals.  Sandra Gee (Allentown, PA, Emmaus) posted seven points and Jenny Malone (North Plainfield, NJ, Roselle Catholic) chipped in with five points, three rebounds, five assists and four steals. Kluth, who also had five points, grabbed five rebounds.

Mocniak led the way for Salisbury with 12 points as the Sea Gulls shot just 6-of-24 from the field in the second half.

Montclair State is now off until Saturday, January 4 when it hosts Rutgers-Camden at the Panzer Athletic Center in a 3:00 pm NJAC matchup. The Red Hawks are currently 4-0 in conference play.