Katie Sire goes one-on-one with a Rutgers-Newark defender.
Taylor Risley | The Montclarion
While some students were enjoying the break, the Montclair State University women’s basketball team was putting in the work, cruising past all the opponents they faced.
They closed the fall semester with a 48-37 win over Brooklyn College on Dec. 12, 2017. That game featured the Red Hawks’ burst in the fourth quarter after playing a very close game to pull away with the win. Katie Sire had 27 points in the victory.
With a week off for the Christmas holiday, 17 days went by without any action from the women’s basketball team. They resumed play for the Gelston/Paskert Holiday Tournament, which was held at Panzer Athletic Center. The tournament would feature the Red Hawks starting play against DeSales University, who they brushed off for a 75-57 win. DeSales would end the first quarter with a 20-18 lead, but Montclair State would bounce back emphatically, closing the second quarter and the first half with a 41-28 lead.
Montclair State would end up playing Albright College after they beat Tufts University 62-59. Albright would end with the lead after the first half, topping Montclair State 40-33. The Red Hawks, led by Sire and Kate Tobie, would once again come from behind and steal the victory from Albright, winning the Gelston/Packert Tournament 74-61. Sire lead the team with 27 points and Tobie backed up her fellow senior with 20 points for herself.
The Montclair State Women’s basketball team (14-1) moves in transition against Rutgers-Newark.
Taylor Risley | The Montclarion
The women’s basketball team should have started the new year with a game at New Jersey City University, but the game was cancelled. Instead, they will begin the new year against a different New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival.
Stockton University paid a visit to the Red Hawks on Jan. 6. Stockton jumped out with the lead after the first quarter, leading Montclair State 21-11. After this quarter, Montclair State would not get outscored for the rest of the game. This led to a 60-52 victory over the Ospreys, adding another NJAC win to Montclair State’s belt. Alex McKinnon came up big for the Red Hawks, hitting some clutch three pointers in a close fourth quarter. She would end with 15 points in the game, while Sire once again led the team with 19.
Montclair State would then go on the road for a game in Camden to take on another NJAC opponent. Rutgers-Camden stood no chance in this game as Sire led the Red Hawks to a 62-47 victory. The Red Hawks would shut down the Scarlet Raptors in the fourth, only allowing them to score four points compared to Montclair State’s 14. Sire just missed a double-double, shooting 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Taylor Harmon had 12 points while McKinnon shot for 11.
To close out the winter break, on Jan. 13, Montclair State played their toughest game by far, facing The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The Red Hawks dominated the first quarter, scoring 18 points and limited TCNJ to just six. TCNJ, the strongest opponent Montclair State has played during the break, would slowly inch their way back out of the 12-point hole they put themselves in to start the game, outscoring the Red Hawks 29-20 in the second and third quarters. TCNJ could not pull away in the end as Montclair State took a 54-51 win. Sire led the team with 24 points while Harmon had 10.
The Montclair State women’s basketball team has extended their winning streak to 12 games in a row. This streak dates back to Nov. 21, 2017 and has seen them go unbeaten in NJAC play, 9-0. They look to extend their streak against Kean University on Jan. 17 in Union and Newark, New Jersey as they play Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 20.
