GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University women's basketball team suffered a 71-70 setback to Montclair State University on Wednesday night.
The Profs held a 70-67 advantage after a jumper by guard
Valerie Garofalo (jr. Ventnor, NJ/Holy Spirit) with 48-seconds on the clock. The Red Hawks tallied the final four points of the contest on two made free throws by guard Rachael Krauss (jr. Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) (0:37) and a layup by guard/forward Katie Sire (so. Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) (0:05). Rowan failed to score on its final possession.
Montclair State is 17-6 overall and pulls into a first place tie with a conference mark of 13-3. Rowan is 19-4 with a 13-3 New Jersey Athletic Conference record.
Krauss led all scorers with 22 points. Guard Kate Tobie (so. Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) tallied 21 points and she grabbed 10 rebounds. Forward Sage Bennett (jr. Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Twp.) recorded 11 points and guard Zoe Curtis (jr. Little River, NJ/Red Bank Reg.) had 10.
For Rowan, forward
Kate Matthews (gr. Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) corralled 16 rebounds and scored 15 points. Guard/forward
Melissa Lake (gr. Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) contributed with 12 points and seven boards. Guard/forward
Kaitlin Schullstrom (gr. Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) and guard
Ashanti Bishop (jr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) each added 10 points.
The first quarter was low scoring as Montclair State led 15-4 after one. Bennett tallied seven points, Curtis had five and Krauss recorded three. Krauss opened the second with a jumper (8:26) to give the Red Hawks a 17-4 lead. Forward Taylor Harmon (so. Saddle Brook, NJ/Saddle Brook) connected on a free throw (6:03) to make the advantage 10 points (22-12). Rowan trimmed the deficit to six (23-17) on a Schullstrom free throw with 4:07 remaining. Sire nailed a three (1:57) to put Montclair State back up eight, 29-21. Guard
Olivia Rulon (fr. Wildwood, NJ/Wildwood Catholic) then hit back-to-back triples (1:26 and 0:53) and Lake made a layup (0:14) to tie the game at 29. Krauss scored a layup (0:03) to make the halftime score 31-29.
Rowan scored seven of the first 10 points of the third and took its first lead (36-34) at the 7:08 mark. The score was then tied at 36 (6:57), 40 (4:23), 43 (3:29) and 46 (1:01). The Profs tallied the final four of the frame on a jumper by Garofalo (0:50) and a layup by Bishop (0:36) and took a 50-46 advantage into the fourth.
The Profs grabbed their largest lead (55-50) on a triple by Lake with 8:07 over the clock. Montclair State used an 8-2 run to go back out in front 58-57 at the 7:10 mark. The Red Hawks were ahead 62-61 (4:34) then Bishop converted a three-point play (3:09) and hit two more free throws (2:37), giving the Profs a 66-62 advantage. Sire knotted the game at 67 with layup (1:18). Guard
Anyssa Sanchez (jr. Stratford, NJ/Sterling) made a free throw (0:55) and Garofalo hit a jumper (0:48) for a 70-67 Rowan lead.
Rowan plays its final road game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Rutgers-Newark. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.