MONTCLAIR STATE RUNS PAST HUNTER,
60-28

Montclair, NJ  (1/7/08)  – Sophomore Catherine Cristiano (Farmingdale, NJ / Colts Neck) scored 10 points while Jessica Garrabrant (Denville, NJ / Morris Knolls) and Jamilee Pflug (Clark, NJ / Arthur L. Johnson) each added nine as Montclair State posted its second straight victory with a 60-28 win over Hunter College in NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball action at Panzer Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.

Sophomore guard Jackie Berry (Tuckerton, NJ / Pinelands Regional) had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals as the Red Hawks moved to 7-5 overall this season. The victory was also Montclair’s seventh straight against Hunter as it now leads the all-time series, 10-1.

Freshman guard Michelle Gatti (Brooklyn, NY/Christ the King) had seven points for the Hawks, who fell to 2-9.

Montclair State never trailed in the game and scored the first seven points in the contest. Garrabrant hit a short jumper 32 seconds into the game and Cristino added a bucket with 18:53 left before the Red Hawks connected three times from the foul line, including two by Cristino. The lead would stay at seven points until the MSU put on a 15-2 run as six different players scored. Marianne McGovern (Fair Lawn, NJ / Paramus, Catholic) converted a three-point play as MSU extended its lead to 28-8 with 7:41 left in the first half.

Cristino finished with eight in the period while McGovern scored all seven of hers in the half as Montclair State took advantage of 23 turnovers by Hunter that translated into 23 points.

Jessica Horan (West Haverstraw, NY / North Rockland) and freshman Caitlin Meslar (Centerville, PA / Westfield (VA)) also had seven points for Montclair State, which got five rebounds from Garrabrant as the Red Hawks grabbed 33 in the game, including 17 on the offensive glass.

Sophomore forward Andrea Buckham (Jamaica, NY/Flushing) had six points and six rebounds for Hunter, which committed 39 turnovers in the game while shooting 37 percent (10-of-27) from the floor.

The Red Hawks return to action on Wednesday, January 9 as they host the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark in a New Jersey Athletic Conference matchup at Panzer Gymnasium beginning at 5:00 pm. Hunter is also on the court that night with a road contest in Newburgh, NY against Mt. St. Mary at 7:00 pm.