Montclair, NJ: The Ramapo College women's basketball team moved to 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the NJAC with a 63-53 road win over rival Montclair State University. The Red Hawks move to 5-7 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The Roadrunners opened the first quarter with a 9-0 run when Shannon Burns started the scoring with a three-pointer before the run was capped off with three straight baskets from Jada Thompson. MSU got on the board with a jumper from Mahogany Worlsey-Wooten with under seven minutes on the clock as Ramapo led 9-2. A three-pointer from Olivia Johnstone put the Roadrunners up 18-13 before a steal from Jackie Ventricelli and fast-break basket from Johnstone extended the lead 20-13 as the first quarter came to a close. Ramapo led by six in the second quarter, 22-16, with a jumper from Thompson before MSU's Isabella Orlando sank a three-pointer for the Red Hawks to cut the lead to three. A basket from Shannon Burns and a three-pointer from Nickie Carter shrunk the Roadrunner lead to just two, 24-22, with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Burns and Allison Ahern each converted one free throw on the line to hold a four point lead before Carter and Shannon Hughes scored back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 26 (1:21). Karly Wittenburg went to the line and sank both free throws for a 28-26 lead with less than a minute left to play in the quarter. Neither team scored in the final minute as Ramapo went into the locker room with the two point lead.

In the third quarter the Red Hawks tied the game early before Ramapo retook the lead on a jumper from Bridget Cahill which started a mini 6-0 run capped off with a jumper from Ventricelli for a 34-28 lead. MSU cut the lead to just two with under six minutes left on the clock before extending their lead to seven with a 7-2 run, 43-36 with 2:45 on the clock. Orlando sank a big three-pointer for the Red Hawks to cut the lead to four as the Roadrunners went into the final quarter of play up, 43-39. Ramapo opened the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run to push their lead to nine. Salma Eddahiri opened the quarter with a jumper before Ventricelli converted on an and-one play, 48-39. MSU made a pair of free throws before Johnstone put the lead back to nine with a jumper (6:25), 50-41. The Red Hawks cut the lead to five with 1:25 on the clock before Ramapo scored their final six points of the game on the free throw line to secure the ten point victory, 63-53.

Thompson led both teams with 20 points as she finished 8-18 from the floor while she added seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Ventricelli tacked on 14 points, a team high six steals, four assists and five rebounds. Johnstone added ten points while Burns contributed with eight points and a team high ten rebounds along with one blocked shot and one assist. The team shot 31% (22-29) from the floor, 12% (2-16) from the three-point line and 77% (17-22) from the free throw line.

MSU had two players score in double figures as Nickie Carter led the way with 17 points and Worsley-Wooten added 11. The Red Hawks shot 34% (20-58) from the floor, 17% (4-23) from the three-point line and 75% (9-12) from the free throw line. 

Ramapo returns to action on Saturday, January 7 th when they host Rutgers-Camden University for a NJAC match-up at the Bradley Center at 1pm.

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