Alfred, NY – The Montclair State University men's basketball team defeated Alfred, 95-85, to open the 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (1-0) 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.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair has won its season opener over the past five seasons, all coming by double-digits.
• The Red Hawks have averaged 89 points per game over their last five season openers and have an average margin of victory of 24.8 points.
• As a team, Montclair shot 45 percent from the field and connected on 13 three-point shots. The bench for the Red Hawks combined for 38 points, and Montclair forced 23 turnovers on the defensive side of the ball in the contest.
• Montclair saw four players finish in double-figures, led by Jackson's 22 points, his most in a season opener in his collegiate career. Morales finished with 21 points in his debut for the Red Hawks.
• Armas notched 14 points on four three-point makes, and Robertson ended the afternoon with 13.

FROM THE COURT

"Great team effort, I thought our depth really showed today. We got a lot of great contributions from several guys, and need to keep working and focusing on being consistent and determined." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to face Albertus Magnus on Wednesday, November 13. Tip-off from New Haven, CT is scheduled for 7:00 PM.