UNION, N.J. (11/22/16) – The Montclair State University women's basketball team – ranked No. 16 on D3Hoops.com and No. 24 in USAToday – overcame a five-point second-half deficit to sneak past Kean University in both teams' NJAC openers on Tuesday night.

Miesha Bacon led Kean with a balanced stat line – 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and an assist.

Click here to see highlights from Tuesday's game

Though the Red Hawks shot just 22 percent from the floor in the opening quarter, MSU pulled down a remarkable nine offensive rebounds to help themselves to a 17-13 lead. Montclair went on to score the first five points of the second quarter to extend their lead and force a Kean timeout.

After that stoppage the game shifted; the Cougars went on a 16-2 run fueled by 11 Montclair misses in the second quarter. Danielle Oakley (pictured left) provided a big spark off the bench for Kean, going 3-for-4 from the floor with four rebounds as the Cougars flipped the lead. Montclair was led by Zoe Curtis, who had seven points and five boards before halftime.

Kean held the Red Hawk bench scoreless and did not allow any fast-break points in the first half.

Midway through the third, Miesha tied the game at 39 with a long-range jumper, and Marajiah Bacon followed up with a deep three a minute later to give Kean its biggest lead; 37-32 with 6:03 left in the third.

But Montclair outscored Kean 28-12 over the next 10 minutes of game time, matching what had been its largest lead of the first half with a 60-49 cushion. Katie Sire finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Red Hawks, who held on to their cushion over the final minutes of regulation to win.

The Cougars will enjoy a week-long break for Thanksgiving before returning home on Wednesday host Rutgers-Newark in an NJAC game at 6 p.m.