MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Powered by a fourth-quarter comeback, Montclair State University posted a 62-57 victory over Vassar College in season opening women's basketball action on Tuesday evening. The Red Hawks (1-0) outshot the Brewers (0-1) by a 24-11 margin in the final stanza to earn the victory.

Vassar owned a 46-38 advantage heading into the final quarter of play.  The Brewers expanded their lead to 10 points (48-38) early on a layup from rookie forward Caroline Siekman, but a 9-0 run over the next two minutes helped the homestanding Red Hawks close the gap to 50-48 with 3:17 to play. MSU's Megan Duffy played a critical role, recording five of the team's nine points during the run.

Sophomore guard Julia Harvey answered for Vassar, but a jumper from Nickie Carter, followed by a layup from Duffy tied the game at 52-all with 2:34 left in the contest. A free throw make from senior captain Eliza Srinivasan saw the Brewers regain the lead, but it was quickly thwarted as Kendall Hodges posted a layup, later adding a pair of free throw makes as Isabella Orlando had a three pointer in the middle for a 59-53 Red Hawks lead with 26 seconds to play.

Rookie guard Naiya Kurnik dropped in a jumper, while classmate and center Bella Tawney posted a layup to make it a 61-57 game, but MSU used the free throw to their advantage once again for a final make and the 62-57 final margin.

Leading the Red Hawks in the game was Duffy, who recorded 17 points, including a 5-for-7 effort at the free throw line. She also added three rebounds with an assist. Carter posted 14 points, including a 6-for-8 mark at the charity strips, adding six boards with four assists, a block and a game-best six steals, while Hodges added 11 points with four boards and four assists.

 Vassar was paced by Harvey, who had 16 points with a rebound, an assist and a steal. Tawney added 14 points in her collegiate debut, including eight rebounds and two blocks, while Kurnik had her first career double-double with 10 points (on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor) and a game-high 11 boards with a steal.

The Brewers are back on the court on Friday when they host the 2022 Hochberg Family Tip-Off Tournament at the AFC Gymnasium. Action begins at 5pm as Swarthmore takes on Hamilton, followed by the Brewers against Nazareth at 7:30pm. Saturday's action will see the Brewers against Hamilton at 4:30pm.