Men's Basketball 2/22/2022 7:00:00 AM

Men's Basketball: Game Day Preview vs. William Paterson (NJAC Quarterfinals)

Montclair, NJ – The No. 4 seeded Montclair State men's basketball team hosts No. 5 seed William Paterson in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Quarterfinals Tuesday.

GAME INFO
Tipoff inside the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 5 pm, with live stats and video links available on montclairathletics.com. Video can also be found on the Red Hawk Sports Network YouTube Channel.

TICKET PRICES
Tickets prices for all adults are $5, while children, students, and senior citizens are $2. The first 50 Montclair State students who arrive between 4:30-5:15 pm wearing red with a Montclair State ID will be admitted free of charge.

LAST TIME OUT
Montclair State (13-9, 10-8 NJAC) fell to Rowan 110-102 in overtime Wednesday despite a career-high 42 points from MIKE JACKSON. Jackson notched the third-highest scoring output in men's basketball history, and his 10 three-pointers matched Daniel Ramis, who had 10 in the 2018 NJAC Semifinals. The Red Hawks forced overtime by outscoring the Profs 16-7 over the final 3:29 and 6-1 in the last 55 seconds. Montclair could not claw back as they eventually fell in the extra session.

TEAM LEADERS
Montclair State
Points Per Game: STEVEN BREEMAN, 15.6
Rebounds Per Game: IRVING CALLENDER IV, 8.6
Assists Per Game: DEVIN COOPER, 4.5
Field Goal Percentage: AMIR WILLIAMS, .563
Three-Pointers Made: MIKE JACKSON, 55

William Paterson
Points Per Game: Domenic Mignone, 18.4
Rebounds Per Game: Yvens Monfleury, 5.7
Assists Per Game: Domenic Mignone, 3.6
Field Goal Percentage: Caesar Silvestro, .481
Three-Pointers Made: Nick Rodriguez, 61

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers (12-11, 9-9 NJAC) are led by Domenic Mignone, who has averaged 18.4 points and 3.6 assists on the year. They clinched the No. 5 seed thanks to an 84-76 victory over Kean on Wednesday. Mignone led the way with 16 points as Caesar Silvestro added 13.

SEASON SERIES
The Red Hawks and Pioneers split their matchups this season, with each side winning on the road. William Paterson won 84-74 as five players scored in double-figures in the opener. Despite receiving double-doubles from STEVEN BREEMAN (23/14 rebounds) and IRVING CALLENDER IV (13 points, 13 rebounds), Montclair fell in that game. The Red Hawks notched an 83-60 win in the second game, with MIKE JACKSON pouring in 28 points off the bench.

SERIES HISTORY
The Red Hawks are 105-77 all-time against their local rivals but had their three-game winning streak ended earlier this season. The Pioneers haven't picked up a home victory in the series since December 6, 2017, when they escaped with an 84-82 overtime win. This will also be the 11th meeting in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament, including twice in the championship game with Montclair claiming the 1982 title and William Paterson the 1984 crown. The two sides met in last year's NJAC Quarterfinal matchup, with host MSU prevailing 84-78 behind 22 points from IRVING CALLENDER IV.