Box Score
Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey women's basketball team hosted the Red Hawks of Montclair State University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in Packer Hall on Saturday afternoon. TCNJ would survive a late-game rally from the Red Hawks and post a 61-58 win to improve to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the NJAC, while MSU falls to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the league.
TNCJ led 37-22 at the half and built a 20 point lead, up 49-29 with 13:58 left to play before MSU posted a 17-0 run and pulled within three points, down 49-46 with 5:22 left in the game. During that run, sophomore forward Catherine Cristino (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) hit a key pair of free throws and a lay-up to cut the lead to three at 5:22. MSU would hold TCNJ scoreless for nine minutes. TCNJ did not score from 13:58 until 4:58. MSU stayed around and pulled back to within two points, down 55-53 with 2:11 left to play on a pair of free throws by senior Jessica Garrabrant (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls), but a jumper from TCNJ's senior Sara Best (High Bridge, NJ/Voorhees) would see TCNJ go back up by four before Nicole Diaz (East Rutherford, NJ/Becton Regional) went to the line with 34.7 seconds left and hit the first of two free throws.
Cristino hit a three point basket and pulled her team back to within two before TCNJ went to the line and despite three offensive attempts from beyond the arch, the Red Hawks were unable to get the ball to fall to tie the score at 59-59 and Best would return to the line with 5.8 seconds left to play, hitting both of her free throws to help the Lions' cause and despite a last second basket by Jackie Berry (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands), the Lions escaped with the win.
Junior center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) paced the Lions adding 12 of her 15 points in the first stanza of action. The Lions shot an impressive 8-10 from the line in the first half as well and forced 14 MSU turnovers as well. TCNJ finished with a 71.4% effort from the line for the game (15-21).
Klimowicz added another double-double, her 10th of the year. She was the team's high rebounder with 11 caroms, an honor she shared with freshman forward Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kutch added eight points in the first half.
Best netted 12 points with six rebounds and three steals to help the Lions to the first NJAC win of the 2008 half of the season.
MSU's junior guard Marianne McGovern (Fair Lawn, NJ/Paramus Catholic) paced the Red Hawks a game-high 19 points, including 11 second half points with a 7-for-15 effort from the floor. Cristino added six first half rebounds and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore guard Kisanra Ayanbeku (Burlington, NJ/Randolph) shot 3-6 from the floor in the first half and by game's end had eight points, while Garrabrant added nine points and nine rebounds for MSU with two assists and three steals.
