Montclair, NJ – Junior forward JONATHAN ARTHUR (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) matched a career high with 28 points and also pulled down 16 rebounds as Montclair State used a pair of identical late-half spurts to snap a two-game losing streak with an 81-62 victory over Rutgers-Camden in New Jersey Athletic Conference Men's Basketball action at Panzer Gymnasium on Thursday evening.

Sophomore guard GARAN DICKSON (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) added 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the Red Hawks improved to 4-5 overall in picking up their first conference win of the year (1-2).

Senior Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Rutgers-Camden, which suffered its fourth straight loss and fell below the .500 mark at 4-5 overall, 0-3 in the league.

In the back-and-forth first half, Montclair State led 24-20 with 5:54 to play as the Raptors' Tarrell Robinson (Irvington, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep) hit a short jumper in the key. Montclair State then went on a 23-7 run to close out the opening period. Freshman DONALD REID (Perth Amboy, NJ/Cardinal McCarey) sparked the run with a three-pointer and GEOFF GRIVALSKY (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany Hills) added another before Arthur's basketball pushed the lead to 32-22 with 4:39 to go. A bucket by Dickson with 2:19 left made the score 39-24 and KEN DUDLEY (Willingboro, NJ/Burlington Tech) capped the run with a jumper with four seconds left as MSU took a 47-27 lead into intermission.

Montclair State went 8-of-10 from the floor during that spurt and connected on 55 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the first half while also sinking 11-of-14 from the free-throw line. Arthur had 15 points and Dickson nine as MSU limited the Scarlet Raptors to just 12-of-33 (36 percent) shooting.

However, in the second half, Rutgers-Camden came alive slicing the deficit in half in the first seven minutes as Eric Richardson's (Camden, NJ/Camden) layup made the score 51-41. The Scarlet Raptors, who made 7-of-their-first-14 attempts to open the half, pulled even closer as Rory Thornton (Vauxhall, NJ/Union) buried a three with 9:55 left to bring Rutgers-Camden within 56-53.

But Montclair State would counter as Grivalsky scored on a layup and Arthur finished off two fast breaks to restore the lead to 62-53 with 7:59 remaining. A jumper by Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) got the Raptors back to six at 64-58, but MSU put up the next 10 points, including five each by Byrne and Arthur as led by 16 with 4:06 left.

Arthur, who tied his career high set against Plattsburgh State last December, fell one rebound shy of his career best in rebounds as he collected 17 in the season opener against Hood College. He was 10-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-11 at the line while also adding two blocks. Byrne finished with 12 points while Grivalsky added nine and Reid eight.

Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Washington Township) had 10 points, four assists and four steals for Rutgers-Camden, which was outrebounded, 49-23 in the game, including 16-9 on the offensive glass. The Raptors shot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half and finished at 43 percent (27-of-53) for the game, but were only 5-of-20 from behind the arc.

Montclair State returns to action on Wednesday, December 20 as the Red Hawks face Briarcliffe College in a 7:00 pm matchup at Panzer Gymnasium. Rutgers-Camden is back on the court this Saturday, December 16 as they host Elizabethtown College at 2:00 pm.