Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University men's basketball team hits the road once again as they travel to take on Albertus Magnus on Wednesday.
GAME INFO
The two teams will do battle at Albertus Magnus with tip off scheduled for 7:30pm. Live coverage of the game can be found at montclairathletics.com.
LAST TIME OUT
The Red Hawks surged out to a 13-2 advantage over the first four and a half minutes, led by seven consecutive points from
SAMAR ABDULLAH to open the season. Following a three-pointer from the Saxons,
MIKE JACKSON answered with five points in a row to push the advantage to 13 following seven minutes of play. Up 10 with 11:48 on the first half clock,
AHMAD ROBERTSON connected on a three-pointer on a feed from
CHRISTIAN CEVIS, and
QUANTAVIOUS ROGERS sunk a jumper in the paint to put Montclair up by 15 at the halfway mark of the stanza. Alfred trimmed the deficit back to 10 with 7:25 remaining in the half, but Robertson hit a jumper in the paint, came away with a steal on the ensuing possession, and hit another shot to push the advantage back up to 14. Montclair used another offensive surge with five minutes on the clock, as
LUIS ARMAS hit a three to kick off a 10-0 run over the next minute-plus, capped off by a make from beyond the arc from
JACOB MORALES to give the Red Hawks their largest lead of the afternoon at 21. Rogers later pushed the lead to 23 with 2:19 left, but the two sides would go into the break with a score of 50-30 in favor of the visitors. Morales kicked off the second stanza with a layup eight seconds in, but the Saxons cut the deficit down to 16 just over two minutes into the half. Jackson and
KABRIEN GOSS answered with three-point makes over the next minute to increase the lead back to 22, but Alfred used a 9-2 run to bring the margin to 13 with 12:55 remaining. The Red Hawks used a three from Morales, two free throws from Jackson, and another three from Armas to move their advantage back to 21 points approaching the halfway mark of the second half. Alfred strung together eight of the next nine points to get within 13, and later got to single digits, down nine with 4:36 on the clock.
KIERAN FLANAGAN halted the run with a jumper, but the home side once again made a push, trimming the deficit to seven a minute later. Alfred used a three-point make with 62 seconds remaining to get within five, but Morales converted four free throws down the stretch, and Flanagan added one, to seal the season-opening victory for the Red Hawks.
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (1-0)
Points Per Game:
MIKE JACKSON, 22.0
Rebounds Per Game: Two Tied for 6
Field goal percentage: Two Tied for .600
Three Point Percentage: Two Tied for .500
Free throw Percentage: Three Tied for 1.000
Assists: Three Tied for 4
Steals:
CHRISTIAN CEVIS, 4
Blocks: N/A
ALBERTUS MAGNUS (0-2)
Points Per Game: Two Tied for 15
Rebounds Per Game:
Tahijj Hunter, 5.0
Field goal percentage:
Tahijj Hunter, 84.6
Three Point Percentage:
Ray Ford Jr., .353
Free throw Percentage: Two Tied for 1.000
Assists:
Ray Ford Jr., 13
Steals:
Ray Ford Jr., 6
Blocks:
Lennox Serrano, 2
SCOUTING ALBERTUS MAGNUS
The Falcons enter this matchup with an 0-2 record so far this season with their last loss coming in heartbreaking fashion with an 88-85 overtime loss on Sunday against Franklin & Marshall. In 2023-24, Albertus Magnus had an excellent year, compiling a 22-5 overall record and notched the second seed in the GNAC Championship. They defeated Regis in the semifinals, 79-67, but were edged in the championship game by Saint Joseph's (Me.), 88-87. According to the GNAC Preseason Poll, The Falcons are slated to finish third in the conference this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Montclair State and Albertus Magnus will meet for just the second time in program history in a new series that started last season.
LAST MEETING
In their first ever meeting last year, Albertus Magnus was victorious by a score of 86-83 on November 16, 2023
UP NEXT
Montclair State University plays their first game of the season in the Panzer Athletic Center when they host DeSales for a 1:00pm showdown.
