Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University men's basketball team notched its seventh consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon, taking down Rutgers-Camden 89-74 at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (15-5, 10-3 NJAC) surged out with the game's first six points, a run capped off by a layup from MIKE JACKSON four minutes into the contest. After the Scarlet Raptors cut the game to 8-4 at the 14:10 mark in the first half, Montclair answered with the next nine points, including back-to-back three-point makes from JACOB MORALES to balloon the lead to 13.
• Jackson connected on a three just past the halfway point of the opening stanza to push the lead to 16, and the Red Hawks later opened the margin to 19 with a shot from beyond the arc from RYAN CASSELS. The Red Hawks went up 20 with 5:32 remaining on another three from Jackson, but the visitors cut the margin down to 18 with three and a half minutes on the clock.
• KIERAN FLANAGAN converted a fastbreak layup to make the score 42-19 shortly after, but Rutgers-Camden closed the period with six of the last eight points to go into the break down 19. The Scarlet Raptors continued the run into the second half, cutting the deficit to 15 with 17:30 remaining in the game.
• Flanagan answered with a three on the next possession, and after a layup on the resulting possession, Jackson sunk back-to-back threes and Morales knocked one down from distance to push the lead to 25. CHRISTIAN CEVIS connected on a three with just under 15 minutes remaining to make the margin a game-high 26.
• Rutgers-Camden trimmed the margin down to 19 points as the second half approached its halfway point and later got within 12 with 7:19 on the clock. Jackson converted two free throws, and Cevis completed an and-one opportunity to push the game back to 17 a minute later for the Red Hawks.
• The two sides traded buckets down the stretch, with Montclair pushing the contest back to a 19-point lead with 1:39 on the clock on a jumper from Jackson. Rutgers-Camden closed the game with the final four points of the afternoon but could not get any closer as the Red Hawks sealed the victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair has won seven consecutive games dating back to January 11, marking the second time in three seasons that the team has posted a streak of seven or more wins.
• Jackson finished with a game-high 27 points, his third-highest mark of the campaign. He has notched 20 or more points in nine contests this season.
• Morales compiled 19 points on four three-point makes, his 15th consecutive double-digit point performance. Flanagan totaled 11 points, six boards, and four assists, and Cevis tallied 10 points to round out the group in double figures.
• The Red Hawks outrebounded the Scarlet Raptors 33-24 on the afternoon, and forced 23 turnovers defensively.

FROM THE COURT

"I thought our guys competed and played with great energy for 40 minutes. We were active on the defensive end of the floor and did a good job sharing it on the offensive end. Overall a great team effort." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to face Ramapo on Wednesday, February 5. Tip-off from Mahwah, NJ is scheduled for 7:30 PM.