MONTCLAIR, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In a battle of unbeaten leaders of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, the New Jersey City University women's basketball team led Montclair State 53-52 with 4:27 remaining before MSU nailed back-to-back three-pointers on successive possessions to ignite a 10-0 run as the Red Hawks outlasted the Gothic Knights, 67-58, in the opening game of a home-and-home two-day series at the Panzer Athletic Center.

NJCU, vying to win its first game ever in Montclair, suffered its first loss of the season to fall to 6-1 overall and in the NJAC. Montclair State, the only team in the league to play a non-conference game this year, is 5-1 overall and 5-0 in the NJAC. The College of New Jersey's 70-57 win over William Paterson gives the Lions the league lead at 7-0 with one regular season game to go in this COVID-abbreviated season.

Montclair junior guard Julia Sutton only scored nine points but hit the two biggest shots of the game as she drilled three-pointers with 3:45 and 3:16 remaining to turn a 53-52 deficit into a 58-53 Red Hawk lead. Senior guard Taylor Brown followed with a third three with 1:56 remaining to push the lead to 61-53 to seal it. The Knights were held scoreless for a span of 3:13 down the stretch as MSU took control.

For NJCU, freshman guard Nahjeemah Holmes scored a career high 18 points (7-16 FG) while freshman point guard Damaris Rodriguez, selected to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week earlier this week, added 10 points and seven assists in a full 40 minutes. Sophomore forward Sarah Edmond had eight points (4-6 FG) and eight boards.

MSU was led by Brown with a game-high 20 points, including 5-of-11 three-point success, 12 rebounds and three assists in a full 40 minutes. Freshman guard Kendall Hodges added 16 points (6-10 FG) and senior forward Kayla Bush tallied 10 points (6-8 FT) and seven rebounds before fouling out.

In a tale of two opening quarters, Montclair led 19-10 after the first period, only to see NJCU bounce back with a 17-12 second quarter outburst as the Redhawks grasped a 31-27 lead at halftime. MSU led 12-2 early in the game and 22-10 when Brown hit a three just 49 seconds into the second quarter, before NJCU stormed back to tie it at 25-25 after a 15-3 run. Holmes scored nine of the 15 during the rally. The clubs were separated by one basket on all but one possession of the third quarter and MSU led 44-41 heading into the fourth.

Despite struggling from three-point range all game (2-18, .111), the Knights hung in and tied it again, 48-48, when Edmond scored on a second-chance possession with 6:24 left. NJCU took its first lead of the game when Rodriguez sank a three (51-50) with 4:58 to go and senior wing Dayjah Anderson made it 53-52 with a layup with 4:27 to go before the late MSU streak.

NOTABLES:

• Series: 72nd meeting. Montclair State leads the all-time series, 69-3, and is 34-0 at home against NJCU in its history. The Red Hawks have won the last 35 meetings, dating back to 2002.
• Damaris Rodriguez has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games to open her collegiate career.
• Nahjeemah Holmes scored in double figures for the fourth time in her first career five games. Her previous high was 11 points.
• NJCU outscored Montclair in the paint, 40-26.
• NJCU forced 19 turnovers and only committed 13, but the Red Hawks held a decisive 17-6 differential in points off giveaways, which led to a 12-4 margin in fast-break points.
• MSU held a 26-12 margin in bench scoring.

UP NEXT:

• In the final regular-season home game, NJCU will look for redemption when it hosts the Red Hawks in the rematch on Saturday, February 27 at 12 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). Prior to the game, NJCU will hold a Senior Day ceremony for Dayjah Anderson, power forward Ayanna Lewis and guard Mya Neal. Watch live on GothicVision on the iPhone app, Roku app, or online. Live stats can be followed at https://njcugothicknights.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary. 

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