Mahwah, NJ – Senior forward
IRVING CALLENDER IV and junior forward
STEVEN BREEMAN scored 19 points apiece as Montclair State completed a season sweep of Ramapo College with a 76-70 at the Bradley Center on Wednesday evening.
Sophomore guard
KIERAN FLANAGAN added 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists as the Red Hawks (10-6, 7-5 NJAC) collected their third straight victory and swept the Roadrunners (4-9, 3-9 NJAC) in the season series for the second consecutive year. Montclair defeated Ramapo, 94-76, at home on December 1.
Callender added five rebounds and a career-high seven steals, the most by a Red Hawk since Daniel Singleton in December 2011 against CCNY and Andrew August at Ramapo in February that same year. The total is one shy of the single-game record.The Red Hawks tailed 31-23 with 5:38 to play in the first half before going on a 17-9 run to take a two-point lead at halftime.
DEVIN COOPER and
MIKE JACKSON hit consecutive three-pointers to get MSU within 31-29. Callender's three with 1:49 to go knotted the game at 33-33. However, the Roadrunners Mark Howell answered with a three putting Ramapo back on top. Callender made it a 36-35 contest with 1:17 to play before Breeman's three-point play with 38 seconds vaulted Montclair into the lead. Callender made seven straight points by MSU, pushing the lead to 40-36. Howell's jumper with three ticks remaining sent the Red Hawks into halftime with a 40-38 advantage.
Ramapo swung the score back in its favor with the first six points of the second half. Jordan Myers' jumper put the Roadrunners in front 44-40 with 17:38 left. Three-pointers by Breeman and Howell later in the period put the score at 51-51. Flanagan regained the lead for MSU with a three-pointer, and a three-point play by Callender put the Red Hawks in front 58-51 with 11 minutes left.
Mansfield Warren pulled Ramapo within 58-56 with 9:48 to go, and the teams would go scoreless for the next three minutes. Jackson broke that with a three-pointer, with Breeman connecting a short time later, giving Montclair a 64-56 lead with 6:13 left.
Ramapo crept within 67-62 as Bryan Joseph made a pair of free throws. Flanagan countered, hitting two from the line with 1:50 restoring the lead to seven points. Peter Gorman hit a jumper with just over minute remaining, making 69-64. Gorman put down a jumper as the Roadrunners got within 70-66 with 48 seconds. A Callender layup gave Montclair a six-point lead. However, Gorman kept Ramapo alive at 72-68 on two free throws with 31 seconds.
The Red Hawks would put the game away in the last 24 seconds, hitting all four attempts at the line. Breeman had the first two, with Callender knocking down two more with eight seconds giving MSU a 76-68 advantage.
Jackson had nine points for the Red Hawks, with Cooper and Keyon Price totaling eight apiece. Breeman pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
The Red Hawks are scheduled to be back at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday, January 29, hosting Stockton University. The tipoff of the NJAC contest is set for 1:00 pm.
