Montclair, NJ – The #23 Montclair State University men's basketball team surged past Gettysburg 84-65 on Wednesday night in their 2025-26 home opener at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (4-0) battled the Bullets early, as MYLES PRIMAS converted a layup four and a half minutes in off a feed from RYAN CASSELS to give the home side a 8-6 lead. AHMAD ROBERTSON rocked in a dunk and converted an and-one opportunity a few possessions later as part of a 12-0 scoring run to vault Montclair in front 18-6 at the 13:32 mark of the opening stanza. Gettysburg countered with a marker from beyond the arc, as Robertson responded with three-consecutive makes over an extended stretch to make the margin 12 at the halfway point.
• The visitors cut into the deficit with eight consecutive points over the next 95 seconds. With the Bullets within two possessions at the 7:18 mark, CRISTIAN NICHOLSON hit a jumper, with ANDREW MARTIN slicing in for a layup on the following possession to nudge the Red Hawks back in front by double-digits. Up by 10 with 4:23 remaining in the half, consecutive makes by CHRISTIAN CEVIS and KEVIN BECK led to a long-distance make from JACOB MORALES to vault Montclair in front by 15. The two sides traded buckets down the stretch as Gettysburg trimmed the deficit to 12 at the break, 50-38.
• Coming out of half, Goss found Morales for a layup before connecting on a three-pointer to increase the advantage to 17 points. The Bullets battled back with seven of the next nine over the ensuing 3:36, but Cassels and Goss connected on layups to end the run. With the margin at 12 with 11:56 remaining, Morales led the charge with seven points as part of a 14-6 run over the next five and a half minutes to push Montclair out in front by 22.
• Down the stretch, Morales hit another jumper, with Goss knocking down a shot from distance with 3:40 on the clock to make the score 82-58. Gettysburg converted two free throws over the next minute before Nicholson hit the final bucket of the night for the Red Hawks. The Bullets tallied the final five points of the night, but Montclair sealed the 19-point home-opening victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Morales led the way offensively for Montclair with a game-high 30 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field, including six makes from beyond the arc. The senior has recorded 30 or more points in back-to-back contests and has totaled 102 points over the first four games of the season for the Red Hawks.
• Goss collected 14 points, his third double-figure performance of the campaign. He accumulated a season-best eight assists, leading Montclair in that category.
• Robertson was the final Red Hawk in double-figures with 11 points on five-for-eight shooting from the floor. Nicholson tallied a career-best nine points on the night.
• Montclair shot 53 percent from the field for the game, converting 38 percent of their long distance attempts. The Red Hawks notched 50 first half points, marking their second game in a row with 50 or more in a half. They have had a half with 45 or more points in all four contests to open the campaign.
• The Red Hawks are averaging 87.3 points per game, surpassing the 80-point threshold in three out of their first four contests in 2025.

FROM THE COURT

"Great environment in Panzer, it was good to be back home. I thought our guys did a great job of getting the game into the style we wanted. We shared the ball, did a great job in pressure, and competed at the defensive end. Overall, it was a great team effort. Appreciate the support from the campus and community." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will kick off New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, November 25 against Rowan. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:00 PM.