Montclair, NJ – The top-seeded Montclair State women's basketball team overcame a four-point halftime deficit and held on to knock off fifth-seeded Kean University 56-52 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Semifinals Friday.

With the win, the Red Hawks (8-1) will face the third-seeded Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University next Friday at 5 pm. It'll be the third matchup of the season for the two sides, with Montclair earning hard-fought wins in both.

Kean jumped out to a 7-3 advantage before Montclair State went on a 6-0 spurt, finished off with a second-chance basket from senior TAYLOR BROWN. Sarah Olivero's three-pointer ended the run, but KENDALL HODGES hit consecutive layups to give MSU the slim 16-13 edge entering the second.

The two sides combined for just seven points over the first five minutes of the second period, and a TRISHA PETERSON jumper extended the Red Hawks lead to 22-16. Kean would heat up, ending the half on an 11-1 spurt, limiting MSU to one point over the final 4:54. The Cougar defense stifled the Red Hawks, holding Montclair to just 3-of-20 shooting in the second quarter.

Kean reeled off the first four points of the third, opening up their biggest lead of the day at eight points. Sophomore SANIYA MYERS had a putback before Peterson hit a layup to trim the deficit to two and forcing Kean to take a timeout. Montclair kept the pressure up and scored six straight to take the lead back. The run was polished off by a traditional three-point play from junior RYLEE MULLIGAN. Montclair would take a 41-36 advantage into the fourth final frame.

Peterson netted five consecutive points before Hodges drilled a jumper to give the Red Hawks a 51-38 lead with 6:51 to go. The Cougars refused to go away, whittling a 15 deficit down to one. Kean held Montclair off the scoreboard for nearly four minutes, setting the stage for an intense final minute.

After letting the shot clock get down to single digits, Brown drilled a three-pointer from right in front of the Red Hawk bench to give MSU some breathing room. The Red Hawks forced a turnover on the ensuing Cougar position, and a desperation heave at the buzzer was off the mark, and Red Hawks moved on.

Hodges led all scorers with 16 points while adding five rebounds, as Peterson finished with nine points and five rebounds. Montclair held a 53-39 advantage on the glass, led by eight from Myers. Of those eight, seven came on the offensive glass. Mulligan added five points, as Brown tallied seven points, six rebounds, and three assists. Ashley Hunt led Kean with 12 points, while Shannon McCoy had a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards.