Montclair State Sweeps Men’s and Women’s NJAC Championships

Written by Meghan Lipscomb

The moment had finally arrived for both the Montclair State Men’s and Women’s basketball teams: The New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship.

On Friday, February 28th, the Montclair State men’s basketball team faced the second seed team, the Ramapo College Roadrunners, at the Panzer Athletic Center.

The first half of the game was a lot of back-and-forth between these two teams. During the half, at some points, it looked like it was going to be the Roadrunners winning the NJAC in resounding fashion. Montclair stormed back, and ended up leading.

The second half started out with the same intensity as the first. Like the first half, at some points, it looked like either team could hoist the NJAC championship trophy. Instead of the Redhawks leading in points, the Roadrunners took the lead with 47 points in the second half.
It all came down to overtime; one of these teams would walk away with an NJAC title win. The first minute was a foul on Ramapo. The Redhawks missed both shots at the free-throw line. It took until two minutes into overtime for a point to be made. Mike Jackson for Montclair State gets a layup to go in. In that same minute, Ramapo got a foul. It sent Mike Jackson to the free-throw line. Both shot attempts he had were good. It was ultimately Mike Jackson who secured the win for the Redhawks. With five seconds left in overtime, Ramapo’s Peter Gorman got a foul. This foul allowed Mike Jackson to hit the free-throw line for the final time of the game. 

Montclair State won the NJAC championship 91-85 at home against Ramapo. This game was redemption for Montclair State because they were 0-2 with Ramapo throughout the regular season. This was the first time since 2003 that the Montclair State men’s basketball team won the NJAC championship. This win also secured the men’s basketball team’s hosting of the NCAA tournament starting on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 3:15 pm. 

Now it was time for the Montclair State Women’s basketball team to take care of business in Ewing, New Jersey at The College of New Jersey. On Saturday, March 1, the Lady Redhawks took the trip down the turnpike to claim the NJAC title. 

Montclair State led the first quarter with ten points, and the Red Hawks jumped out to an early lead, and led 17-4 after Quarter 1. TCNJ would storm back and Montclair only led by 4 going into half. Alyssa Craigwell and Olivia Vero led the scoring for the Redhawks in the first half. The end of the first half showed that the Redhawks and the Lions were capable contenders of the NJAC champion title, and the second half would be one for the ages

The second half was a do-or-die situation for both Montclair State and TCNJ. Alyssa Craigwell and Olivia Vero continued their success throughout the third quarter, and Montclair went into the last 10 with a 10 point lead.

 Everything was on the line in the fourth quarter. One of these teams was walking away with the NJAC championship trophy. In the end, it would be Montclair State’s own Sophie Beneventine who helped the Redhawks secure the win. Beneventine was sent to the free-throw line for a foul called on TCNJ’s Grace Kowalski. Beneventine was successful with her first free throw shot, but her second one was not. It would not matter because the first free throw point is what sold the deal for the Redhawks. 

The Lady Redhawks won against TCNJ 72-63 on the Lions’ home court. It was redemption for the Redhawks because TCNJ ended Montclair State’s fourteen-game winning streak. This was the first time the women’s basketball team had won the NJAC since 2018. Coach Karin Harvey secured her 7th NJAC title, her first since winning six straight. This win also sent the women’s basketball team to the NCAA tournament hosted in Washington, DC. The Redhawks will travel down to DC on Friday, March 7, to play Christopher Newport University.