Montclair, NJ – The #9 Montclair State University men's basketball team battled past Rutgers-Camden 89-63 on Saturday afternoon behind a 53-point second half at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (9-0, 5-0 NJAC) opened the afternoon with the first nine points, including two buckets from JACOB MORALES, over the first three minutes. Shortly after, the Red Hawks built a double-digit advantage on makes from ANDREW MARTIN and RYAN CASSELS. After a fastbreak layup from MYLES PRIMAS nudged the lead to 12 with 12:45 on the clock, the Scarlet Raptors battled back to within three with nine-straight points over the next five minutes.
• KUNGA TSERING countered the run with a three-pointer from the corner, and a pair of free throws from KABRIEN GOSS pushed the lead back to eight with 5:43 remaining in the half. Primas notched two free throws later in the stanza to make the margin 27-19, as Rutgers-Camden would climb back once again to within five over the ensuing 90 seconds. In the final minute of the first, Montclair once again extended its lead to eight with a layup from Tsering and a jumper from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON to make the halftime score 36-27.
• Montclair came out of the break with 11-straight points, including three consecutive makes from beyond the arc from Goss to force a timeout from the visitors with 17:46 on the clock. The Red Hawks would later vault ahead by 23 points with a long distance make from Morales and a layup from Nicholson. They would continue to push offensively over the next few minutes, with a three-point shot from KEVIN BECK making the score 61-36 with 12 minutes to go.
• Nicholson hit another jumper as the half eclipsed its midway point to put Montclair in front by 27 points, with Rutgers-Camden battling back over the next three minutes to trim the margin by six. The Red Hawks countered with the game's next nine points, including four from Tsering, to go up by 30 with 2:50 to go. The Scarlet Raptors closed the afternoon with nine of the final 14 points, but Montclair stood strong defensively to come out with their nine consecutive victory to open the season.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Morales led the way for Montclair with 15 points, with Tsering close behind with a season-high 13 points on five-of-six shooting from the field. He has recorded 25 points over his last two appearances in just 16 minutes.
• Goss notched his sixth double-digit performance of the campaign with 11 points, matching his season-high of three long distance makes. Nicholson amassed 10 points and tied his season-best nine assists to orchestrate the offense.
• Primas was the fifth and final Red Hawk in double-figures with 10 points, his second consecutive double-digit performance.
• Montclair shot 47 percent from the field, including 51 percent in the second half to collect 53 points in the period. Defensively, the Red Hawks forced a season-high 33 turnovers to generate 38 points on the other end.
• The Red Hawks have eclipsed 80 points in all but one game this season and average 91.3 points per game on the season. They rank 12th in the nation in scoring and reside fifth in assists per game at 21.5.
• Montclair has won nine consecutive games to open the campaign, one away from the mark they set during the 2022-23 campaign.

FROM THE COURT

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UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will resume nonconference play as they will travel to face Maritime on Wednesday, December 17. Tip-off from Throggs Neck, NY is scheduled for 3:00 PM.