Panzer Athletic Center on the campus of Montclair State University was the site for this winner take all regular season finale between the Montclair State Red Hawks and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Lions.
The Lions and Red Hawks came into this game tied atop the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings with 15-2 records. The Lions ended up taking the NJAC regular season championship by winning this final game of the regular season, 72-63, snapping Montclair State’s incredible 13-game win streak.
Freshman Alyssa Craigwell, who came into this game with the highest points-per-game average (14.8) for either team, would win the opening tip-off for Montclair State.
Opening tip between @montclairstwbb and @tcnjwb @ONNJSports pic.twitter.com/gotoutNp50
— Tony Paradise (@TonyParadise3) February 19, 2025
Craigwell drove to the hoop and stashed away the first two points for Montclair State. Then the two teams went back and forth for five minutes. With the score at 9-8, TCNJ went on an 8-0 run to make it 16-9.
The Red Hawks ended TCNJ’s early run with two minutes to go in the first quarter on Sophie Beneventine’s layup. Then Nina Branchizio made TCNJ’s third three-pointer of the game, to stretch the TCNJ lead to 19-11.
With eight seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Red Hawks’ Alexis Strollo fouled TCNJ’s Grace Kowalski in the paint. TCNJ inbounded and then scored a two-point shot to end the first quarter on top of Montclair State 21-13.
The first points scored in the second quarter came off the fingertips of Shannon Hughes who nailed a three-pointer to make it 21-16. TCNJ stormed back with a 5-0 run behind a field goal and three consecutive foul shots. The Lions’ Nina Branchizio hit her third three of the game from way downtown to put TCNJ in front 29-17.
Strollo was fouled and hit both of her free throws to pull MSU within eight. With 4:54 to go, TCNJ led 31-23 and MSU was not making enough shots. The Red Hawks turned the ball over due to a travel and TCNJ called a timeout. On the ensuing possession, the Lions went up the floor and dished to forward Jaclyn Feit who layed it in and was fouled for and-one to give TCNJ a 34-23 lead.
Now the Red Hawks trailed 38-26, Strollo attempted a three-pointer from the corner that did not go in. Montclair State needed to get their shot-making figured out before they fell too far behind. With 20 seconds left, Branchizio hit her fourth and fifth three-pointers of the game. Now, Montclair State found themselves with a 18 point deficit and being outshot from three-point range 46-14 percent heading into halftime.
Red Hawks Play Catch-up in the Second Half
The Panzer got noisier as the second half began, as with every change of possession or point scored by the Red Hawks, the crowd went wild.
After giving up yet another three pointer to Branchizio, the Red Hawks would bare down and go on a 9-0 run, thanks to seven points from Craigwell including a big three. With the score 50-38, TCNJ got a lay up to go in and ended Montclair State’s run.
Craigwell got the hosts started on the right foot in the fourth quarter, dancing around her defenders and getting a floater to go in to make it 56-47. Strollo missed back-to-back threes as MSU‘s three-point shooting woes continued. Nevertheless, the Red Hawks kept fighting and were able to whittle down the deficit to five points (56-51) with 6:51 remaining in the game thanks to a 9-0 run. Craigwell contributed six points to the run, Beneventine two and Vero one free throw.
TCNJ ended the run with a three pointer by Katie Fricker, then the Red Hawks ran right up the floor and got a two pointer to go in off the fingertips of Vero to make the score 59-53.
Kowalski then hit a jump shot to make it 61-53. Vero once again drove the basketball to the hoop on the next possession and made a lay up and-one to make it 61-57. Having been down by 18 points at the half, Montclair State had cut their deficit to just four points.
With the pressure mounting on TCNJ, they rose to the occasion. Lions senior captain Arianna McCleod received a pass in traffic and under great pressure was able to float the basketball into the hoop to make it 63-56, TCNJ. At the other end of the floor, Craigwell drove the lane and got fouled. She made both free throws. Then at the other end of the floor, after nearly running the shot clock out, the Lions Fricker made a lay up to make the score 65-59 with 42 seconds remaining.
With 34 seconds left, Montclair State fouled. TCNJ got possession and MSU had to foul again to keep them from running out the clock. Fricker went to the line and made one of two free throws to make the score 66-59 with 30 seconds to go. On the next Red Hawk possession, Vero got an opportunity to lay the ball in and she missed. The Red Hawks fouled again and this time, TCNJ’s leading point-getter Branchizio went to the line and made both free throws. The score now read 68-59 in favor of the Lions. Then Craigwell got the ball in traffic and was able to dance to the hoop for two to make it 68-61 with 17 seconds left.
Time was not on Montclair State’s side however and after fouling again, the Red Hawks went down 69-61 and the game was out of reach. Montclair State had its 13-game win streak snapped by their rivals at their home court.
Head Coach Harvey: “Really Proud of My Team”
TCNJ now are the top seed for the upcoming NJAC women’s basketball conference tournament.
The story of the game was in the numbers and they don’t lie. Montclair State kept it close from field goal range shooting as they were outshot by a sliver (43.9% to 43.1%) from two-point land but the real damage TCNJ did was from three-point range. The Red Hawks only made 2/18 three-point shots on the night which amounted to a paltry 11.1% while the Lions shot 32% from three-point range, making 8/25.
Craigwell led all players in the game with 30 points and four steals, while Branchizio’s 20 points paced TCNJ.
Montclair State head coach Karin Harvey praised her team’s effort.
TCNJ played tremendous and they’re just an amazing shooting team. They came out firing on all cylinders and they really knocked us down in the first half, but I’m really proud of my team the way we responded, I mean we were down 21 at one point and we could’ve just rolled over and we didn’t. We fought and I’m really proud of the effort that they put in. Now we’ll just take a day off and get ready for the tournament.
The tournament that Coach Harvey is looking forward to is the NJAC Women’s Basketball tournament, which Montclair State will host a semifinal game in on Feb. 26. Montclair State will face the winner of the quarterfinal between William Paterson University and New Jersey City University (NJCU).
On the keys to the game resulting in the fashion that it did, Coach Harvey said:
“The way TCNJ shot the three, obviously and then Alyssa Craigwell played phenomenal. She really showed what she’s capable of doing so that was an awesome moment.”
