Camden, NJ – Led by 24 points from JACOB MORALES, the #5 Montclair State University men's basketball team surged past Rutgers-Camden 84-58 on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (20-0, 13-0 NJAC) were locked in a defensive battle with the Scarlet Raptors early, with the two sides combining for seven points over the opening three and a half minutes. Shortly after checking into the contest, AHMAD ROBERTSON sliced to the basket off a feed from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON to generate eight consecutive points for the visitors. After back-to-back buckets from Robertson, Nicholson registered one of his own to push the advantage to 11-4 at the 14:13 mark of the opening stanza. Three minutes later, Robertson found another two points to make the difference double-digits, with free throws from Morales increasing the lead to 20-7 at the midway point of the half.
• An 8-3 run over the ensuing two minutes from Rutgers-Camden trimmed the deficit to eight with seven and a half on the clock, as Morales countered with a three-point make on the next trip up the floor. Leading by nine, MYLES PRIMAS kicked off six consecutive points from the Red Hawks, as Nicholson and KABRIEN GOSS helped increase the lead to 15 with 3:04 remaining. After the home side hit a pair of free throws, a dunk from Robertson helped lead a strong end to the half for Montclair, as they tallied four of the final five points to make the score 43-27 at the break.
• The Red Hawks tallied a 12-2 blitz over the first three minutes of the second stanza, headlined by a pair of long distance makes from Morales, to push Montclair in front by 26. A minute later, RYAN CASSELS drained a three from the corner off a find from Nicholson to continue the offensive surge from the visitors before Rutgers-Camden tallied the game's next four points. The two sides held each other scoreless until the 13:32 mark of the half, when Goss found CHRISTIAN CEVIS for a layup to increase the gap to 60-35. Coming out of a timeout, consecutive baskets from KUNGA TSERING and Primas added to the extended run for Montclair, who held a 23-point advantage as the half crossed its middle marker. 
• Morales continued his strong afternoon with a layup shortly after, with Nicholson hitting a jumper to balloon the lead to 27 with 8:10 left. Rutgers-Camden battled back with one final push, mounting a 13-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the game to 74-56 before Morales ended the stretch with a jumper off a feed from Goss. The two sides traded buckets until Goss connected on a pair of three-point attempts to help seal the road victory for the Red Hawks.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair extended its season-opening win streak to 20 games, remaining the only undefeated team in the nation for Division IIl. Across all three levels, the Red Hawks are one of five undefeated teams across the country.
• The 20-game winning streak for Montclair is tied for the third-longest in the history of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, matching the mark William Paterson set during the 2009-10 campaign. 
• Morales tallied a game-high 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the floor, adding five rebounds. It marked his eighth game this season in which he has surpassed 20 points.
• Goss finished with 15 points while adding a team-high eight assists to orchestrate the offense. He moved to 14th in program history for assists, passing Ben Martinez and currently sitting at 223 through 48 career games.
• Robertson recorded his first career double-double, tallying 13 points and a career-high 10 boards coming off the bench.
• Primas notched his fourth game in double figures over his last five, collecting 10 points to round out the group in double-digits.
• For the game, Montclair shot 54 percent from the field, eclipsing 50 in each half. The Red Hawks have shot 50 percent or better in 10 contests this season. They tallied 42 points in the paint, holding a 16-point advantage in that category.
• Defensively, the visitors generated 21 turnovers, the 14th time in 20 games that they have forced 20 or more turnovers from their opponent. 
• Montclair completed its fifth consecutive season sweep of Rutgers-Camden, as the Red Hawks have won 10-straight against the Scarlet Raptors dating back to the 2019-20 campaign.

FROM THE COURT

"Another good NJAC road win. I thought we shot the ball well and were able to force turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. Proud of our guys for how they came out in the opening minutes of the second half. We will continue to look to improve as we return home to Panzer next week." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will host Ramapo on Wednesday, February 4. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:30 PM.