Taylor Harmon (23) charges through a defender towards the basket
Photo courtesy of montclairathletics.com
Following an opening night victory over Farmingdale State University, The Montclair State Women’s Basketball team is now 4-1 on the season after splitting the Cortica Classic, then beating Kean University and Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Red Hawks played three games before the Thanksgiving break. They first participated in the Cortica Classic, which featured the Red Hawks making trips to play SUNY Cortland and Ithaca College.
Stopping first in Cortland, NY, the Red Hawks beat SUNY Cortland 68-62. Katie Sire lead in scoring for both teams with 27 points and Taylor Harmon also had 13 points for Montclair State. The whole game had the two teams trading the lead. Trailing 8-4 halfway through the first quarter, Montclair State went on an 11-2 run to take a 15-10 lead to end the first. The second quarter was much of the same. Cortland tied the game at 21-21 with five minutes left in the half. The Red Hawks hit two from behind the arc to end the first half at 35-30
Montclair State extended their lead in the third quarter at one point to 45-35 with help from Sire. Cortland would bounce back, closing the gap at 49-44, but Montclair State overpowered them to end the quarter at 54-45. Cortland made it a three-point game in the closing minutes of the game, but Sire scored on a layup and Harmon forced a turnover to end the game with the win, 68-62.
Montclair State would play the next day in Ithaca, NY, to play Ithaca College. The ranked 23rd in the country, the Red Hawks fell behind 14-11 after one, but ended the first half on an 8-0 run to go into the locker rooms with a 27-25 lead.
Ithaca went on to dominate the second half. Starting the third quarter, Montclair State had an 29-24 lead with 8:16 left in the quarter, but Ithaca went on a 13-2 run and ended the quarter with the Red Hawks down 46-40. Ithaca pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks never get closer than seven points to their lead. Montclair State dropped their first game of the season 66-56. Harmon had 18 points with Sire collecting 14.
The Red Hawks would bounce back against Kean and Stevens Institute of Technology. Montclair State dominated Kean 68-51 back in the Panzer Athletic Center before the Thanksgiving break. The victory over Kean opened up New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play for the Red Hawks this season. Sire had 20 points and Katie Tobie had 14. Leading 20-16 after the first quarter, the Red Hawks held Kean to only three point the entire second quarter and went into the half with a 36-19 advantage. Montclair State would hold the 17-point difference to the end of the game, beating Kean 68-51.
Montclair State would travel to Hoboken, NJ, to take on Stevens, who they beat 65-56. In a game where Stevens held Montclair State to seven points in the first quarter, Stevens took the first half of the game with a 26-18 lead. Montclair State’s shooting struggled in the first half, but overpowered Stevens in the second half. Montclair ended the third quarter with a 42-41 lead and would build upon that to end the game with their second straight victory. The Red Hawks surged behind Sire and Harmon’s double-doubles. Tobie also had 14 points in the game.
The Women’s Basketball team heads to Mahwah, NJ, Wednesday night to play Ramapo College in their second NJAC game of the season. The Red Hawks return home to play Rutgers-Newark Saturday afternoon.
