Montclair, NJ- The #8 Montclair State University men's basketball team returns to the Panzer Athletic Center for a showdown against Rutgers-Newark on Saturday
 
GAME INFO
Tip-off from Montclair, NJ is set for 1:00 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairstateathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair earned a The Red Hawks (17-0, 10-0 NJAC) battled the Profs early, with the two sides within one possession of each other for the opening four minutes. Down one, JACOB MORALES kicked off a 10-2 scoring run that included three-point makes from RYAN CASSELS and KABRIEN GOSS to vault Montclair in front 14-7 with 14:51 on the first half clock. A pair of dunks from MYLES PRIMAS a few minutes later paced the visitors, as MASON THEAR drained a shot from beyond the arc to maintain the seven-point advantage. Montclair continued to push offensively, receiving a pair of long-distance makes from Goss to climb ahead by double-digits, 29-16, as the period approached its midway point. The run continued for Montclair with a layup from KEVIN BECK after Goss generated a turnover on the ensuing possession. CHRISTIAN CEVIS drove to the basket after coming away with a steal on the next trip up the floor to make the difference 17, their largest lead of the half. Rowan battled back with six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 35-22, a run halted by another three from Cassels. As the home side continued to try and climb back, AHMAD ROBERTSON connected on a shot from beyond the arc off a feed from Morales with 4:36 on the clock. Both sides recorded nine points over the remainder of the half, as the Red Hawks went into the break up 52-37. Early in the second half, ANDREW MARTIN notched a bucket off an offensive rebound, with KUNGA TSERING slicing to the basket for a layup on the next possession to increase the visitors' lead to 18. The Profs countered with a quick 7-2 run over 46 seconds to make the score 60-47 at the 16:50 mark. The two sides traded the next eight baskets before Montclair notched a Morales turnaround jumper and a step-back shot from Goss to go up 15. Continuing to shoot at a blistering pace from behind the three-point line, back-to-back shots from Goss and Morales pushed Montclair in front 21 points at the halfway point of the frame. After Primas increased the lead to 82-61 shortly after, Rowan amassed a 12-0 scoring run over the next three minutes to cut the deficit to single digits with 6:38 remaining, forcing a Montclair timeout. With the Profs circling again within nine at the 4:16 mark, the Red Hawks made one final push on the offensive side of the ball. Goss sank a step back three-pointer, with Robertson driving to the basket for a layup with under three minutes on the clock to make the difference 12. A few possessions later, Goss delivered again from long range to push the score to 95-80, as the Red Hawks held on for the NJAC road victory.
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (17-0, 10-0 NJAC)
Points Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 19.2
Rebounds Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 6.6
Field Goal Percentage: KUNGA TSERING, .698
Three Point Percentage: RYAN CASSELS, .475
Free Throw Percentage: KABRIEN GOSS, .861
Assists: KABRIEN GOSS, 95
Steals: CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, 33
Blocks: MYLES PRIMAS, 18
 
 
RUTGERS-NEWARK (3-13, 0-10 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Ayden Brown and Raheem Murray, 15.6
Rebounds Per Game: Eli'sha Brown, 5.7
Field Goal Percentage: Will Ndio, .509
Three Point Percentage: CJ Karis, .471
Free Throw Percentage: Raheem Murray, .810
Assists: Raheem Murray, 39
Steals: Ayden Brown, 26
Blocks: Eli'Sha Brown, 18
 
SCOUTING ROWAN
The Scarlet Raiders enter the matchup with a 3-13 overall record and are still looking for their first NJAC win of the season at 0-10, which slots them at 10^th in the conference. In their last matchup on Wednesday, they were bested by Rutgers-Camden, 62-47. Last season, Rutgers-Newark went 7-18 and 3-15 in NJAC play and missed out on the conference tournament. According to the 2025-26 NJAC Preseason Poll, they are slated to finish ninth in conference this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Montclair and Rutgers-Newark will face off for the 120^th time in their long-standing rivalry. The Red Hawks are ahead of the series at 74-45 and have won 10 of the last 12.
 
LAST MEETING
The Red Hawks and the Scarlet Raiders last faced off on December 6, 2025, where Montclair secured a victory on the road, 87-74.
 
UP NEXT
 
Montclair State University heads to Wayne, New Jersey, on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m. to face off with William Paterson University.