Montclair, NJ – Senior Katie Sire scored a career-high 31 points and added eight rebounds and five assists as Montclair State wrapped up the NJAC regular-season title with a 79-60 victory over Rutgers-Camden at the Panzer Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.
Taylor Harmon scored 20 points and Kate Tobie handed out 11 assists as the Red Hawks (21-3), ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings, closed out its conference slate at 16-2. MSU, the five-time defending league champion, earned the No. 1 seed in the NJAC Tournament which begins on Saturday, February 17.
Montclair will have a first-round bye and host a semifinal final contest on Tuesday, February 20 at 7pm against either No. 4 seed Rowan or fifth-seeded William Paterson.
Jordan Harbaugh had 20 points for Rutgers-Camden, which concluded its regular-season campaign at 14-10. The Scarlet Raptors, who finished 11-7 in league play, will be the No. 6 seed and travel to Stockton University for a first-round matchup on Saturday.
After a couple of lead changes and ties in the first quarter, freshman Taylor Brown drained a three with 2:14 left putting Montclair on top 12-9. The Red Hawks would lead 15-12 after one quarter and then broke the game open in the second outscoring the Raptors 24-11.
Harmon ignited a 12-2 run midway through the quarter with her layup giving MSU a 25-16 advantage. After a Rutgers-Camden basket, Brown and Kim Calloway each connected from behind the arc for a 31-18 lead with 4:38 to play. Harbaugh's three-pointer cut the lead back under 10 however Sire scored on a pair of three-point plays that gave Montclair a 39-23 lead at the break.
Sire's layup late in the third put MSU in front 51-30 but the Raptors clawed their way back in the closing minutes. Cara Racabaldo hit a three cutting the lead to 51-43. But Harmon answered with a three and added a basket allowing the Red Hawks to take a 57-43 advantage into the final quarter.
Sire, who moved into fifth place on the all-time scoring list at MSU, surpassed her previous career high of 30 which she did against Rutgers-Camden one day shy of a year ago (February 15, 2017). Tobie added seven points, six rebounds and three steals for MSU, which shot 30-of-57 (53 percent) from the field. Domonique Wirsing chipped in with seven points off the bench.
The victory capped off a sensational Senior Night for Sire, Harmon and Tobie, who were honored before the game. The trio collected their 100th victory as a group compiling a record of 100-15 overall including a 64-8 mark in league play since joining the Red Hawks for the 2014-15 campaign which ended in the program's first trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four.