Union, NJ – Placing a season-best six players in double figures, the #8 Montclair State University men's basketball team grinded out a 106-94 road victory over Kean on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (16-0, 9-0 NJAC) received back-to-back three-point shots from KABRIEN GOSS over the opening two minutes to build a two possession lead that they would eventually balloon to 11-2 on a layup from ANDREW MARTIN and three from RYAN CASSELS. Kean countered with the game's next seven points to cut the deficit to two at the 15:20 mark of the half. The two sides battled within four points over the next five minutes before AHMAD ROBERTSON cut to the basket for a layup, and a three on the next trip up the court from Goss opened the lead to 20-15 at the midway point of the stanza.
• CRISTIAN NICHOLSON drained a long distance attempt to push the difference to six, and a tip-in from KEVIN BECK forced a Cougars timeout with 8:57 on the clock. A few possessions later, a pair of layups from KUNGA TSERING vaulted the Red Hawks ahead by double-digits at 29-19. Montclair continued the 9-2 scoring run with another bucket from Tsering and corner three from MYLES PRIMAS with seven minutes in the period. The visitors continued to push offensively, scoring nine out of 11 points over a two and a half minute stretch to build a 16-point lead. Montclair outscored Kean by three over the final portion of the frame to make the score at the break 53-34.
• Robertson converted an and-one opportunity on the first possession of the second half to push the Red Hawks ahead by a game-high 22. Kean battled back with 11 of the next 16 to close the gap to 61-45 following the opening three minutes. The Red Hawks immediately halted the run with three of the next four baskets, including a pair of threes for Cassels. Over the ensuing three minutes, the home side amassed a 11-2 scoring stretch to bring the difference to 13 at the 12:25 mark of the game.
• After Kean cut the margin to 10 with just over eight minutes remaining, Goss and Primas combined for buckets on back-to-back possessions, with JACOB MORALES and Nicholson each notching a three-point make as part of a 10-1 explosion to go back up by 19. The Cougars would trim into the deficit before Nicholson drained another three with 3:41 on the clock. Kean scored 10 of the final 14 points, but the Red Hawks closed the contest out for their seventh road victory of the season.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair extended its win streak to nation-best 16 games, closing out the first round of the NJAC slate with an unbeaten 9-0 mark. The Red Hawks remain one of four undefeated Division III teams in the nation, and one of 11 across all three levels.
• Goss led the way offensively for the Red Hawks with a game-high 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, hitting three shots from beyond the arc. He has recorded three 20-plus point performances this season.
• Nicholson was close behind, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from three to accumulate 18 points along with six assists. He has totaled 35 points over his last two appearances.
• Cassels poured in 17 points off the bench, sinking five three-pointers to match his career-high. Robertson, making his first start of the campaign, recorded his fourth consecutive double-digit performance with 16 points.
• Morales stuffed the statsheet with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting, adding six assists and five boards. Primas was the final Red Hawk in double figures with 11 points.
• For the afternoon, Montclair shot 64 percent from the field to mark a new season-high, eclipsing 60 percent in both halves. Their blistering offensive performance continued from deep, shooting a season-best 70 percent from three-point range for the game and 80 percent in the opening stanza. Both marks are the highest shooting totals for the Red Hawks since their last visit to Kean on February 15, 2025.
• Montclair has surpassed 100 points four times this season, averaging 92.8 per game to rank 10th in the nation.

FROM THE COURT

"Winning on the road is never easy, I thought it was a great team effort. We shot the ball well, which is a credit to the guys and the extra work they put in. We have to continue to stay with the process of working and improving." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will remain on the road to face Rowan on Wednesday, January 21. Tip-off from Glassboro, NJ is scheduled for 7:30 PM.