Union, NJ - Kean University sophomore forward Armet Coles (Staten Island,N.Y.) scored 26 points, hitting 12-of-13 shots from the field,and added 11 rebounds to lead four Cougars in double-figures, as Kean defeated Montclair State University in overtime, 76-72, in New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Friday evening.
With the victory,the Cougars improved to 6-1 overall, 1-1 NJAC, while the defending conference champion Red Hawks fell to 3-2 overall, 0-2 in the conference.The game was rescheduled from November 25.
After trailing most of the second half, Montclair State took a two- point lead,63-61, on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Anwar Montgomery(Scotch Plains, N.J.) with 2:13 remaining in regulation. With nine seconds remaining, sophomore forward BJ Hamby (Bridgewater,N.J.) knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at63-63 and send the game into overtime. After a three-pointer by junior guard George Tejada (Hackensack, N.J.) just 21 seconds into the extra period, the Cougars scored six unanswered points to take the lead, as junior center Matt Horton (Paterson, N.J.) scored four of his five points in the run.
The Red Hawks tied the game one final time at 69-69 on a layup by junior forward
DUQUAN EVERETT (Orange, N.J.), however the Cougars scored on back-to-back possessions and outscored Montclair State 7-3 over the final two minutes of the contest to seal the four-point victory.
In the victory,Hamby had 14 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Tan Kesler (Istanbul, Turkey) added 12 points and three assists.Horton and junior guard Danny Del Valle (Linden, N.J.) each had a solid all-around game, as Horton had a game-high 13 rebounds,five assists and four blocks, while Del Valle dished out nine assists and had five steals.
Off the bench for the Cougars, freshman guard Bryan Miller (Trenton, N.J.) had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and sophomore forward Machel Barnes (Rahway, N.J.) added seven points in11 minutes of play.
For the Red Hawks,Everett had 21 points and eight rebounds, while junior center
KEITH DUNCAN (Rahway, N.J.) added 16 points, including 9- of-10 shooting from the foul line. Sophomore guard
PIERRE MITCHELL (Newark,N.J.) and junior guard
LAMONT NEWELL (Lodi, N.J.) added11 and 10 points, respectively.
Montclair sho tjust 9-of-34 (26.5 percent) from the floor in the second half andwas just 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from three-point range in the same span, although the Red Hawks finished 14-of-18 from the foul line for the game.
The Red Hawks return to action against Goucher (MD) College on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Grand Canyon Classic in Phoenix, AZ.
