Glassboro, NJ – Senior forward
GIAN PAUL GONZALEZ posted a double-double with 38 points and 12 rebounds while freshman guards
MAURICE TORRES and Dan Hennessy came up with big performances as Montclair State posted its third straight win with a 98-87 overtime victory at Rowan on Saturday afternoon.
JONATHAN ARTHUR had 25 points and a season-high 16 rebounds as the Red Hawks moved back over the .500 mark (6-5) and evened their record in the NJAC at 3-3. Thomas Baker had 32 points for Rowan, which fell to 8-4 overall, 2-4 in the conference. It is the second straight win for Montclair at Rowan, a place the Red Hawks had not won at since the 1995 NJAC Tournament. Both victories have come in overtime.
Gonzalez went 13-of-20 from the field and re-established his own school record by going 22-of-22at the free throw line as he recorded his third straight double-double and sixth this season. The senior also posted his fifth 30-pointgame this season and broke his own mark of free throws in a game set in November when he went 18-of-18 at the charity stripe. It is the sixth time this season Gonzalez, who moved into 15th place on the all-time MSU scoring list (1,100 points) has gone perfect at the foul line in a game and he has made his last 33 attempts.
MSU held at seven-point lead with 3:30 to play, however, the Profs battled back and tied the game with :08 left at Matt Byrnes drained a three-pointer tying the game at 79-79 and forcing the extra session.
In the overtime, Arthur and Baker traded baskets before Gonzalez put Montclair in front for good with two free throws. He would add a field goal for a four-point MSU lead before Torres drained a three-pointer to put the Red Hawks ahead, 88-81 with 2:32 left. Gonzalez increased the lead to nine with two more foul shots, but Rowan would trim the deficit to six as Baker his a layup with 1:43 remaining. Torres then dashed any hopes of a comeback as he connected from beyond the arc for a 94-85 advantage with 1:24 left.
Torres finished with 13 points for MSU while Hennessy, making his first start of the season added12 points, three rebounds and three assists. Arthur notched his seventh double-double of the season and added three assists and three steals.
MSU also set a single-game record for free-throw percentage as the Red Hawks made 32-of-33 attempts (.970), breaking the mark set against Kean in 1991 when it went 22-of-23 (.957) from the charity stripe.
The Red Hawks return to action on Wednesday, January 11 when they complete their three-game road trip at The College of New Jersey. Tip-off of the NJAC contest is set for 8:00 pm.
