Montclair, N.J. - Hunter College women's basketball opened up the 2018-19 season on Monday evening with a loss to Montclair State University with a score of 71-50 at Panzer Athletic Center.

The Hunter team battled injuries in their first game of the year, forcing four players to compete for over 30 minutes, but fought hard to find double-digit points from Janine Conway and Phoebe Valenton.

The score remained close in the first quarter as Conway recorded seven-straight points to help the Hawks trail by just six points going into the second. The Purple and Gold tied the score, led by five points from Selina Lim, to make it 19-19, but the Red Hawks managed an 8-0 run in the final minute of the quarter to lead 37-27 at halftime.

MSU came out in the third quarter by outscoring the Hawks 13-4, hitting three-straight shots from behind the arc. Conway did her best to come through for the Purple and Gold, scoring eight of the Hawks' first 11 points to keep Montclair State at bay. The Hawks were unable to stop the MSU baskets as they led 55-43 going into the fourth.

The Red Hawks took charge in the last quarter of the game, registering 13-straight points with no answer from Hunter for a 68-43 advantage. A three-pointer from Valenton silenced the Red Hawks for a minute but was not enough to make a comeback as Hunter fell with a final score of 71-50.

Conway finished with 22 points, recording ten field goals, while Valenton tallied 12 points in the loss.

The team returns to action on Friday, Nov. 16 when they host the annual Hunter Tip-Off Tournament, beginning with a game against St. Joseph's College L.I.  at 5 p.m.