Union, NJ – Senior guard Janitza Aquino pumped in a game-high 26 points in 22 minutes of action as No. 10/11 Montclair State rolled to its fourth straight victory as the Red Hawks remained unbeaten with an 83-55 victory over Kean University on Tuesday evening.
Senior forward Melissa Tobie added 13 points and seven rebounds as the Red Hawks improved to 4-0 on the season (2-0 NJAC) with the win. Freshman Katie Sire had 11 points with sophomore Sage Bennett chipping in with 10 as MSU put four players in double figures.
Montclair led for all but 2:31 of the game as the Cougars scored first on a jumper by AnnaRose Pierre 56 seconds into the contest. The Red Hawks then scored the next six points to take the lead for good. Tobie, Sire and Bennett each had layups on successive trips down the floor for a 6-2 lead with 17:29 remaining in the first half.
MSU maintained its modest lead over the next seven-plus minutes before Kean pulled within 17-16 however Bennett scored on a layup starting a 12-2 run that ballooned Montclair State's lead to 29-18 as Rayven Lucas finished off a break with 6:02 left.
Montclair led 39-27 at the break thanks in part to a solid shooting effort. MSU shot 54 percent (17-of-31) from the field and made 3-of-6 from behind the arc. On Saturday in its win at TCNJ, MSU was just 5-of-25 from the floor in the first half and was 0-for-18 from behind the three-point line.
The shooting prowess continued in the second half as the Red Hawks opened the period with a 16-3 building a 55-30 lead. Aquino had nine of those points, all from three-point range allowing MSU to build its 25-point lead with 15:55 remaining in the game.
Kayla Ceballos gave MSU its largest lead at 69-39 with 10:26 to go in the contest.
Sophomore guard Rayven Lucas had six points for the Red Hawks, who had 10 different players score in the game. Kate Tobie and Erica Snow each finished with five points while Ceballos led the team with eight rebounds. Kate Tobie handed out five assists with Melissa Tobie and Sire recording four steals apiece.
Montclair shot an even 50 percent over the final 20 minutes finishing the game at 53 percent (29-of-55) from the floor. MSU was also good at the free throw line going 18-of-25 (72 percent), including 16-of-19 in the second half.
The Red Hawks are now off until Monday, December 1 when it travels to Bethlehem, PA for a 7:00 pm matchup with Moravian College. It will be the start of a grueling stretch for MSU which will play six times over a 16-day span, including five times in the first 10 days of the month.
Following the game at Moravian, Montclair State is home for the first time on Wednesday, December 3 against Rutgers-Newark at 6:00 pm.