Montclair, NJ – Freshman guard SHAUN RUSSELL came off the bench to score 16 points as Montclair State held off a frenetic comeback attempt by Rutgers-Camden in the final six minutes for a 58-53 victory at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Junior forward KEVIN MCGORRY had seven points and 10 rebounds for the Red Hawks (5-7, 2-5 NJAC), who nearly squandered a 19-point lead but managed to hang on snapping a two-game losing streak. MSU also posted its fourth straight win over the Scarlet Raptors and improved to 47-9 overall in the series with the win.

Senior Alex Smart (Sicklerville, NJ / Timber Creek) posted a double-double of 15 points and 111 rebounds for Rutgers-Camden (7-6, 2-5 NJAC), which has dropped two straight games following a three-game winning streak.

A slow-going first half, Rutgers-Camden led 5-4 with just over 17 minutes left  before Montclair scored eight of the next nine points for a 12-6 lead 8:50 remaining on two Russell makes at the foul line.

A jumper by Smart knotted the contest at 14-14 with 5:04 left however the Red Hawks closed out the half with the final 13 points. The first six came at the charity stripe and a layup by ERIC MUSTO (Ocean Township, NJ / Ocean Township) made the score 22-14 with 45 ticks. A steal and layup by JAMES D'ANGELO (Long Valley, NJ / West Morris Central) pushed the lead to 10 points and a three-point play by JEROME HILTON (Jersey City, NJ) just before the buzzer gave the Red Hawks a 27-14 advantage at the break.

In the second half, Montclair extended its lead that grew to 19 points on four ocassions, the last on a layup by Devon Ransom (Jersey City, NJ / Marist) with 6:55 remaining making the score 51-32.

Junior guard John Tatem (Camden, NJ / Pennsauken Tech) hit two free throws igniting what would be a 21-5 run by the Scarlet Raptors in the closing minutes. Teon Russell (Camden, NJ / Woodrow Wilson) scored six and Smart finished off a turnover with 59 seconds remaining getting Rutgers-Camden within 56-53.

Montclair turned the ball over and then fouled, but Smart missed both chances at the line. MSU broke through the press and had two chances to score on layups however Smart and Marcus Taylor (Somerdale, NJ / Sterling) came up with blocks on back-to-back attempts keeping the game within one possession with 34 seconds left.

The Red Hawks, still in possession of the ball after the blocks, rattled off 25 seconds before D'Angelo was fouled with eight ticks to play. He would hit both attempts to seal the game for MSU.

D'Angelo had seven points as did Ransom, who also grabbed seven rebounds. Hilton added seven points and seven rebounds as MSU used its advantage at the foul line connecting on 22-of-32 compared to 15-of-25 for the Scarlet Raptors.

Russell had 13 points off the bench for Rutgers-Camden which got seven points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals from Julian Martin (Williamstown, NJ / Williamstown).
Montclair State returns to action on Wednesday, January 14 when it hosts No. 12 Richard Stockton at the Panzer Athletic Center. Tip-off of the NJAC contest is slated for a new start time of 7:00 pm. Rutgers-Camden is back home on Monday hosting Lehman College at 6:00 pm.