Montclair, NJ- The #10 Montclair State Men's Basketball team is back to NJAC play and looks to build on its undefeated season as they square off at New Jersey City on Wednesday evening
 
GAME INFO
Tip-off from the John J. Moore Athletic and Fitness Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairstateathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair wrapped up its non-conference slate with a 100-89 home victory against Albertus Magnus on Sunday. 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.
 
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (12-0, 5-0 NJAC)
Points Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 20.8
Rebounds Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 6.7
Field goal percentage: KUNGA TSERING, .750
Three Point Percentage: KABRIEN GOSS, .455
Free throw Percentage: KABRIEN GOSS, .889
Assists: KABRIEN GOSS, 72
Steals: CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, 26
Blocks: MYLES PRIMAS, 12
 
NEW JERSEY CITY (9-3, 5-0 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Bakhi Rogers-Robinson, 22.0
Rebounds Per Game: Donovan Crawford, 7.7
Field goal percentage: Arterio Williams, .517
Three Point Percentage: Mekhi Philogene, .438
Free throw Percentage: Bakhi Rogers-Robinson, .861
Assists: Jayden Brown, 26
Steals: Bakhi Rogers-Robinson, 30
Blocks: Two tied with 7
 
SCOUTING NEW JERSEY CITY
The Gothic Knights enter this matchup with an impressive record and are the last remaining team, along with the Red Hawks, to post an undefeated 5-0 record in the NJAC play this season. NJCU was on a six-game win streak before falling in the West Conn Holiday Classic to the host Wolves, 73-65, in their last contest on December 30. In the 2024-25 season, the Gothic Knights finished 14-13 and 8-10 in NJAC play and were just outside of NJAC playoff contention. They did qualify for ECAC Tournament play, where they bested Alvernia 67-57 in the quarterfinals, before falling to Salisbury, 69-65 in the semifinals. According to the 2025-26 NJAC Preseason poll, New Jersey City is slated to finish seventh this season.   
 
SERIES HISTORY
The longstanding conference rivalry between the Red Hawks and the Gothic Knights reaches contest number 184. Montclair is out in front of the series at 102-81. The two teams split last season's series, but the Red Hawks have won seven of the last meetings.
 
LAST MEETING
These two teams went to overtime in their last matchup on February 12, 2025. Montclair came out on top, 89-85.
 
UP NEXT
 
Montclair State University returns to the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday, January 10, for a 1:00 p.m. conference showdown with Stockton.