Glassboro, NJ – Senior guard
Daniel Singleton (Neptune, NJ, Neptune) had 19 points helping Montclair State battle back from a 10-point deficit in the second half however the Red Hawks fell one point shy in a 67-66 loss at Rowan University on Thursday evening.
Senior forward
Ordel Goldson (Hackettstown, NJ, Warren Hills) added 15 points and seven rebounds as MSU (6-10, 3-7 NJAC) dropped its third straight while splitting the season series with the Profs. MSU won the first meeting 92-73 at the Panzer Athletic Center on November 23.
The Red Hawks led virtually the entire first half until the Profs scored the final four points to take a 35-33 lead at the break. Rowan added the first three of the second half on a three-pointer by Rich McNamara and the lead grew to 42-35 with 17:16 remaining as Jason Sofman finished off a break with a layup. A three-pointer by McNamara put Rowan's lead into double digits before Montclair began to battle back.
Singleton hit two from the line and Goldson followed with two more and a basket before senior
Michael Spence (Irvington, NJ, Manchester Regional) sank two at the charity stripe to tie the game at 45-45 with 13:33 to go. After a couple of more ties,
Angel Gonzalez (Ocala, FL, Meadowbrook Academy) drained a three for MSU with 1:35 to play giving MSU a 62-61 advantage. Rowan regained the lead as McNamara scored on the ensuing possessions and two free throws from Tim McDaniels with 1:05 left gave Rowan a 65-62 lead.
Following a Goldson layup with 55 ticks, Kris O'Connor scored with 27 seconds putting Rowan up 67-63. Singleton immediately answered with a three-point play pulling MSU within a point at 67-66. Montclair then forced a turnover with 18 seconds left with a chance to go in front. Gonzalez missed a three-point attempt with five seconds however the rebound out of bounds was given to Montclair State.
After a succession of timeouts, the Red Hawks would get a chance to win the game however Goldson's jumper fell off the mark.
Gonzalez finished with 13 points, three rebounds and four assists for Montclair State while
Chris Torres (Oakland, NJ, Indian Hills) chipped in with eight points, a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals.
Montclair State has a quick turnaround as it will host Rutgers-Newark at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday, January 25 at 1:00 pm.
