MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Junior forward Sage Bennett's layup with 1:34 left gave Montclair State University the lead for good as it held on for a narrow 54-51 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest Saturday afternoon at the Panzer Athletic Center.
After the score was tied at 46-46 with 4:45 to play, the lead changed hands three times over a 46 second span before Bennett (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow), who scored 11 points, gave MSU a 50-49 lead. The Red Hawks then made 4-of-6 foul shots down the stretch to post their fifth straight win.
Montclair State, which improved its record to 16-6 on the year and 12-3 in the NJAC, also recorded its 20th straight victory over Rutgers-Camden since Feb. 12, 2003 and now holds a 40-15 advantage in the all-time series between the schools.
MSU, which led 19-9 after the first quarter and 32-25 at the halftime intermission, watched its margin cut to just five points at 45-40 entering the final quarter.
Rutgers-Camden (12-9 overall, 7-8 NJAC), which suffered its fourth loss in its last five games, made a run in the final stanza. The Raptors outscored the Red Hawks 7-1 to start the period, including the last three points from junior forward Caroline Santiago (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional). Santiago's layup tied the game at 46-46 and then she made one of two free throws to give Rutgers-Camden its first lead of the game at 47-46 with 4:04 remaining.
The Raptors had one final chance to tie the game with 6.4 seconds left, but a wild 3-point try by senior guard-forward Kamari Talley (Camden, NJ/Creative Arts) at the buzzer missed the mark. Talley led all scorers with 25 points, including 15 in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Gabby Greene (Howell, NJ/Howell) added 13 points for the Rutgers-Camden.
Junior guard Rachel Krauss (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) topped MSU with 15 points, including five 3-pointers,while sophomore guard-forward Katie Sire (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) turned in her ninth double-double performance of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Katie Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) handed out a game-high seven assists.
Both Montclair State and Rutgers-Camden continue Conference action on Wednesday (2/10) as the Red Hawks travel to Rowan while the Raptors host Rutgers-Newark.