Montclair, NJ – Senior forward
JORDAN ROBERSON registered a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds while sophomore
MYLES MITCHELL-WHITE made key free throws down the stretch as Montclair State remained unbeaten with a 63-61 win over William Paterson on Tuesday evening.
Junior guard
AKBAR HOFFMAN led the way with 16 points for MSU which upped its record to 4-0 on the season in capturing its NJAC opener. Sean Smith had 18 points for William Paterson, which fell to 2-3 on the year.
The Red Hawks led 23-22 at halftime but fell behind by six early in the second half as WPU took a 31-25 advantage on a Nasir Fields layup with 16:45 left. Montclair scored the next six to tie the game but trailed again as the Pioneers' Henry Voorhees put in a layup two minutes later.
JALEN PARHAM hit a free throw and
JOSEPH RADI drilled a three from the right corner vaulting Montclair back into the lead 35-33 with 13:37 to go.
The Pioneers took the lead again with 9:02 to play on a layup by Saint-Simeon Beaubru making the score 44-43.
IRVING CALLENDER IV snapped a tie with a pair of foul shots and a layup by Roberson put MSU up 49-45. After WPU closed within a point, Hoffman scored on a driving layup for a 53-49 advantage with 5:38 left.
Fields tied the game at 51-51 with four minutes left but Montclair scored the next seven points. Roberson and Mitchell-White had back-to-back field goals for a 58-51 lead. The teams traded two free throws each and a jumper by Anthony Uribe with 34 seconds got the score to 60-55 in favor of Montclair.
Mitchell-White hit one from the line but Myles McLeod connected from behind the arc with five seconds left bringing WPU within 61-58. Mitchell-White iced the game on two free throws with three seconds to play. Uribe hit a three at the buzzer for the final margin.
Mitchell-White tallied 13 points for the Red Hawks, including 9-of-10 at the line. Parham had seven points.
Montclair State returns to action on Saturday, November 24 in the Holiday Inn Rochester Downtown Tournament. The Red Hawks will face Rensselaer at the University of Rochester at 7:00 pm.
