Newark, NJ – The Montclair State University men's basketball team took down Rutgers-Newark 70-57 on Saturday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (13-5, 8-3 NJAC) tallied five of the game's opening seven points, as KIERAN FLANAGAN found JACOB MORALES for back-to-back makes, including one from beyond the arc. Montclair continued their strong start, as they rattled off six-straight points over a three-minute span to make the score 11-4 at the 13:39 mark of the opening stanza.
• Rutgers-Newark cut into the deficit to come within three, 14-11, just past the halfway mark of the frame. The visitors answered with a 12-0 scoring run over the next three minutes, led by five points from MIKE JACKSON, to take a 15-point advantage. The Scarlet Raiders trimmed the deficit to single digits multiple times over the final seven minutes, but the Red Hawks closed the half up 11 on a driving layup from Flanagan.
• Shortly into the second frame, Montclair boosted the lead up to 18 on a three from Morales and a dunk from MYLES PRIMAS at the 17:25 mark. Primas connected on a layup two minutes later, and QUANTAVIOUS ROGERS sunk a free throw to push the lead across to 21 five minutes in. GRANT HOLBROOK hit a three with 13:38 remaining to give the Red Hawks their largest lead of the night at 48-26.
• The Scarlet Raiders responded with the game's next seven points to trim down the deficit, but Montclair would eventually push the advantage back to 21 on a layup from Morales at the 5:34 mark. Shortly after, Rutgers-Newark used a 7-0 spurt to make it an 11-point game with two minutes on the clock. Montclair didn't allow the home side to get within single digits, as they closed out the road victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Morales finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field, including four makes from beyond the arc. It marked his fifth 20-point performance of the campaign.
• Flanagan notched 12 points, with Jackson collecting 11 points and a team-best nine boards. 
• Defensively, Montclair forced 21 turnovers in the contest.
• The Red Hawks have won five-straight contests and seven of their last eight. Montclair is 7-1 on the road this season, the most in the NJAC. They are in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Ramapo and Stockton with seven games remaining.

FROM THE COURT

"Winning on the road in this league is hard, I thought our guys competed and executed at both ends of the floor. Felt like our pressure created some good opportunities for us and guys stayed connected for 40 minutes." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will return home to face William Paterson on Wednesday, January 29. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:30 PM.