No. 9 Montclair St. Powers Past Kean, 78-48

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Montclair, NJ -  Senior guard Janitza Aquino (Kearny, NJ / Keanry) scored 15 points while senior forward Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ / Roselle Catholic) posted her third straight double-double as No. 9/11 Montclair State rolled up a 22-point lead at halftime en route to a 78-48 win over Kean University on Wednesday evening.

The Red Hawks (16-1, 9-1 NJAC) put five players in double figures, including Tobie who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Taylor Harmon (Saddle Brook, NJ / Saddle Brook) and Kayla Ceballos (Brooklyn, NY / Christ the King) each had 12 points as MSU posted its fourth straight win over the Cougars.

Sophomore guard Jaquetta Owens (Bloomfield, NJ / Bloomfield Tech) finished with nine points while Najha Treadwell (Cinnaminson, NJ / Cinnaminson) added eight points and eight rebounds for Kean (9-8, 4-6 NJAC). Jazmine Davis (Tinton Falls, NJ / Monmouth Regional) had eight points and seven boards.

After a scoreless 2:20 to start the game, Tobie put MSU on the board with a layup and added another 10 seconds later for a quick 4-0 lead. Treadwell tied the game on a layup with 15:51 remaining however Tobie's three-point play began a 19-6 run that pushed the Red Hawks' advantage to 25-12 with 11:33 left. Ceballos and Aquino each connected twice from behind the arc during the spurt.

Kean would get the deficit back to 32-24 with 2:30 left on a Treadwell basket however Montclair State closed out the half with the final 14 points, 10 of which came from the foul line as MSU hit on 15-of-16 from the stripe in the first half. A steal and layup by Katie Sire (Hazlet, NJ / Raritan) with six seconds left closed out the half as MSU led 46-24 at the break.

Sire finished with 11 points along with four rebounds and three steals for MSU. Tobie, who registered her sixth double-double in the last seven contests, added four assists, two blocks and three steals. Harmon grabbed six rebounds as did Zoe Curtis (Little Silver, NJ / Red Bank Regional).

Both teams are back in action on Saturday, January 24 with home NJAC games. Montclair State hosts The College of New Jersey at 3:00 pm while the Cougars entertain New Jersey City University at the same time.