Galloway, NJ – The Montclair State Men's Basketball team (9-5, 4-3 NJAC) snapped an 11-game losing streak against #19 Stockton (11-3, 6-1 NJAC) as they went on the road and upset the Ospreys, 88-84 on Saturday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Ospreys kicked off the game with a 7-2 lead in the first three, but two quick three-pointers from MIKE JACKSON flipped the game, 8-7 in the next minute. The two teams battled back and forth up until a deadlocked 13-13 score at the 15:09 mark in the first half when an 8-0 run gave Montclair a 21-13 advantage.
• Stockton fought hard to get back on top in the contest but a persistent Montclair team kept them at bay. The game saw several one-possession scores throughout the second half of the opening frame. At a score of 37-34 with 6:32 left in the opening frame is when the Red Hawks pulled away with a 7-0 run that gave them a double-digit lead of 44-34. The two teams continued to exchange buckets down the stretch and Montclair took a 53-40 lead into the second half.
• The second half started with both teams exchanging points. The Red Hawks still held a double-digit lead at 58-48, but a 7-0 run from the Ospreys cut the lead to three at 58-55. The two teams continued to battle with no side able to generate a run late into the first half.
• It was not until the final five minutes of the game that the Montclair lead was in jeopardy. Montclair held an 82-77 lead with 4:47 minutes remaining in the game. The advantage vanished over the next three minutes when Stockton found the layups and free throws, they needed to tie the contest up 82-82 with 1:42 remaining in the game. Just when the Ospreys thought the momentum was going to shift in their favor, JACOB MORALES hit a deep three that sucked the energy of the Stockton Sports Center.
• The Ospreys were fouled and hit two free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game, but KABRIEN GOSS hit both of his after being sent to the line. Stockton traveled in a crucial possession with 11 seconds left and Jackson hit one of his two free throws to hold off the Ospreys and the Red Hawks walked away with the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Montclair snapped an 11-game losing streak that dated back to 2019 when Montclair defeated Stockton, 84-81 on February 2. They also handed Stockton their first conference loss of the season.
• Today's win also marked the first time men's basketball has beaten a ranked opponent since 2018 when they defeated #20 New Jersey City, 76-66 on January 3
• Jackson put together his second 25+ point game performance this week with 27 points in this contest on 9-for-14 shooting, 4-for-7 from deep, and led the team in rebounds with nine.
• The Red Hawks also saw a strong day from JACOB MORALES who posted 17 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals, and three blocks. AHMAD ROBERTSON was the other Red Hawk in double-digit points with 12 on the day.

FROM THE COURT

"Great effort and energy from our guys for 40 minutes today. They stayed engaged and battled possession by possession. We got several great contributions off the bench and Kieran [Flanagan] and Mike [Jackson] kept the group connected." - Head Coach Justin Potts
 
UP NEXT

Montclair State University will stay on the road and do battle with NJAC foe TCNJ on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:00 pm.