Montclair, NJ – The #10 Montclair State University men's basketball team concluded its nonconference slate with a 100-89 victory over Albertus Magnus on Sunday afternoon at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (12-0) fell behind in the opening stages of the contest, as the Falcons built a 11-6 edge. KABRIEN GOSS cut the game to one possession on the following possession, but the visitors countered with a pair of buckets to jump ahead by seven points. A few minutes later, Montclair strung together six-straight points, including four from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, to equalize at 17 with 13:34 remaining. Albertus Magnus reopened their lead, aided by a 8-2 scoring run, to jump ahead 30-23 with nine minutes on the clock.
• AHMAD ROBERTSON notched a layup off a feed from Nicholson to cut the deficit to two possessions with seven minutes left, and a pair of free throws from Goss trimmed the margin to one possession 55 seconds later. Over the next 1:16, Montclair rattled off eight of the next ten points to vault in front 38-37. The two sides traded the lead over the remainder of the half, as a pair of KEVIN BECK free throws pushed the Red Hawks in front with two minutes on the clock. Free throws from Nicholson and JACOB MORALES down the stretch helped make the halftime score 46-44 in favor of the home side.
• Albertus Magnus cut the game to one three and a half minutes into the second stanza at 53-52. Nicholson notched a free throw to kick off a 6-0 spurt over 34 seconds, capped off by a layup from KUNGA TSERING to make the margin seven. With 12:22 on the clock, CHRISTIAN CEVIS found MYLES PRIMAS cutting in for a dunk to make the score 66-58, and the home side would jump ahead by double-digits on long distance shots from Nicholson and Goss. After the Falcons answered with a jumper on the next possession, Morales rattled in a three-pointer to push the lead to 12 as the half approached its midway point.
• Nicholson continued to pace the Montclair offense, as another shot from beyond the arc along with a pair of free throws made the lead a game-high 18 at 84-66 with eight minutes on the clock. Shortly after, the Falcons accumulated a 9-1 run to get within three possessions with 5:12 remaining. Threes from Nicholson and Goss reopened a 15-point advantage for the Red Hawks, who held off one final push from Albertus Magnus to seal the victory in the nonconference finale.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Nicholson continued his spectacular freshman campaign with a career-high 27 points to lead the way for the Red Hawks. The guard shot 7-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, and added five assists and three steals. He is averaging 18 points over his last five appearances.
• Goss finished with 20 points, hitting five shots from three-point range. He has made 17 attempts from long distance over Montclair's last four contests. The sophomore added six assists to help orchestrate the offense.
• Morales totaled 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists to stuff the statsheet for Montclair. Primas was the final Red Hawk in double figures with 12 points.
• For the game, Montclair shot 47 percent from the field, and forced 23 turnovers defensively to generate 31 points.
• The Red Hawks are one of five unbeaten teams remaining in the nation, and have the second-best win total across the country at 12. It matches the second-best start in program history, a mark reached by the 2002-03 team. 

FROM THE COURT

"Great college basketball game today. I thought our guys did a great job of competing and playing with a great mentality. Overall, I thought our depth was a big factor in the game. I'm proud of our guys, we need to keep working and focus on the next one." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will resume New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, January 7 against NJCU. Tip-off from Jersey City, NJ is scheduled for 7:30 PM.