Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University men's basketball team used a 51-point second half surge to take down DeSales, 89-79, on Saturday afternoon at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (3-0) rattled off seven of the first nine points, five coming from KIERAN FLANAGAN. DeSales battled back to take a one-point advantage five and a half minutes in and later pushed the lead to 17-12. SAMAR ABDULLAH ended the run with a layup, but the visitors countered with a pair of free throws.
• Montclair answered immediately with back-to-back three-point makes from LUIS ARMAS to go up by one, but DeSales rallied with eight consecutive points to build a three-possession lead with 6:28 on the clock. The Bulldogs continued to push as the half came to the waning minutes, as they increased their advantage to 11 at the 3:39 mark. 
• CHRISTIAN CEVIS sank a three-pointer to end the run, and GRANT HOLBROOK tipped in an offensive rebound on the next possession to start a rally for the Red Hawks. After a steal from MIKE JACKSON on the ensuing possession, AHMAD ROBERTSON converted a fastbreak layup to bring Montclair within four. Robertson notched a steal on the next possession, leading to a Jackson fastbreak layup on the other end, and Cevis knocked the ball loose right after leading to another bucket from Jackson to level the contest at 34 with 1:21 remaining.
• Flanagan hit a jumper to give the home side the lead with 40 seconds on the clock, but the Bulldogs countered with a pair of free throws to tie the game. KABRIEN GOSS knocked in a jumper in the half's final seconds to send the Red Hawks into the break with a one-possession lead.
• DeSales came out of the half and amassed a seven-point lead after the opening five minutes. Cevis answered with a three on the next possession, and KUNGA TSERING hit two free throws to bring Montclair within two. After the Bulldogs pushed the lead back to six, JACOB MORALES hit a layup and Jackson converted a three-pointer to come within one possession again at the 11:24 mark of the game.
• The visitors used another offensive push to open an eight-point lead at 70-62 with 8:47 on the clock, and later held a seven-point lead two minutes later. Montclair then embarked on a 19-2 run to end the contest, kicked off by another three from Jackson. Later in the sequence, Robertson hit a jumper in the paint to level the game, and converted a fastbreak layup after getting a rebound on the other end to give the Red Hawks the lead.
• Jackson used back-to-back layups to increase the margin to eight with 29 seconds remaining, and Flanagan sealed the contest with two free throws shortly after.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• The victory was Montclair's third-straight to begin the 2024-25 campaign, marking the second time in three years that the team has kicked off a season with three consecutive victories.
• Montclair defeated DeSales for the first time in their history with the win.
• The Red Hawks shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. Defensively, they forced 21 turnovers and generated 27 points off those miscues. Through three contests, Montclair has forced 20 or more turnovers in each.
• Jackson finished the day with a game-high 28 points, shooting 12-18 from the field and 4-6 from deep. He has tallied 20 or more points in two of the team's first three contests.
• Flanagan had a perfect day shooting, hitting all five attempts he had from the field, including a pair of threes, as well as two free throws to finish with 14 points for the afternoon.

FROM THE COURT

"Another great environment in Panzer, I thought our guys showed some great resolve all day and stayed with it. Our depth made a great impact on the game. Overall, a really good win against a very good team." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will remain home to take on Wesleyan on Wednesday, November 20. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:00 PM.