Glassboro, NJ - Sophomore guard Marcellus Ross scored six of his 26 points in overtime as Rowan University clinched the No. 2 in the NJAC Tournament with a 110-102 victory over Montclair State on Wednesday evening.
Sophomore forward Andrew Seager led the Profs with 27 points as Rowan won its sixth straight game and avenged a one-point loss to MSU in Montclair back in January.
The loss overshadowed a tremendous effort by Red Hawk freshman guard MIKE JACKSON, who scored a career-best 42 points in the game, the third-highest recorded scoring game in MSU history. Jackson's total trails only Gian Paul Gonzalez, who had 51 points versus Lincoln (PA) in 2006, and Clem Tennaro's 47-point effort versus Rutgers-Newark in 1956.
Jackson shot 15-of-25 from the field and was 10-of-15 from behind the arc, tying the single-game record. He equaled the mark set by Danny Ramis, who sank 10 three-pointers against Ramapo in the semifinals of the 2018 NJAC Tournament.
Despite the setback, Montclair still managed to clinch the No. 4 seed in the upcoming NJAC Tournament. The Red Hawks (13-9) finished 10-8 in conference play and will host William Paterson at the Panzer Athletic Center on Tuesday, February 22 at 5:00 pm. The Pioneers defeated Kean 84-76 to finish in a tie with the Cougars and won the tiebreaker between the two by virtue of two wins over Kean this season.
Jackson scored 26 in the first half as Montclair State led 54-51 at halftime. The Red Hawks would hold that lead until 13 minutes left as Seager scored on a jumper for a 69-68 Rowan advantage. Two foul shots by GREG ECK put MSU back in front until a Melvin Hafeez layup sent the Profs back on top 78-77 with under eight minutes to go. At that point, it was Rowan's lead which got as high as six points and was five with 55 seconds left when Arian Azemi hit a jumper for a 95-90 advantage.
STEVEN BREEMAN answered with a three-pointer and was fouled. The rare four-point play with 42 seconds remaining pulled MSU within 95-94. AMIR WILLIAMS pulled down a Rowan miss with 16 seconds, and the Profs fouled KIERAN FLANAGAN, who made both free throws giving the Red Hawks a 96-95 lead. But Montclair would commit its own foul with five ticks, sending Connor Dickerson to the line with a chance to take the lead.
Dickerson would miss the first but made the second, knotting the game at 96-96 and sending it to overtime.
In the extra period, Marcellus Ross put Rowan in front with a three-pointer. Jackson countered with a jumper, but another three by Ross made the score 102-98 with 3:37 to play. JUSTIN SMITH made it a two-point game on a pair of free throws, with Hafeez pushing the lead back to 104-100.
FRANCISCO PAULINO connected in the paint to trim the deficit back to 104-102, but that would be the last points for the Red Hawks. Hafeez finished off a fastbreak with a layup, and Seager drained a jumper with 1:13 boosting the lead to 108-102. Dickerson recorded the final field goal with 44 seconds remaining for the final margin.
Ross added 13 rebounds for the double-double performance and also added four steals. Hafeez had 20 along with seven rebounds, with Dickerson totaling 15 points.
Breeman collected 25 points and nine rebounds for the Red Hawks. JUSTIN SMITH had nine and seven assists, with Flanagan adding seven points.
