Farmingdale, NY – The Montclair State University Men's Basketball team used a 56-point second half to help clinch the Farmingdale State Tip-Off Tournament Championship, taking down Fitchburg State 98-81 on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Red Hawks (2-0) and Falcons each scored on their first three possessions, as Montclair tallied long distance makes from KEVIN BECK and MYLES PRIMAS. Fitchburg State answered with a pair of buckets to take the lead, slowly growing it to 14-9 at the 16:07 mark of the opening frame. With the margin the same a minute later, the two sides would hold each other scoreless over the next two and half before MATT MIKULKA drained a three to make it a one-possession game. After the Falcons expanded the gap to four, Montclair rattled off a 12-2 run, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, to go up 26-20 past the midway point of the half on a three from KEITH MENCY.
- Fitchburg State countered with a pair of buckets shortly after to draw within two and would later creep within one with just over eight minutes on the clock. Primas, Mikulka, and Mency combined for the next five points to nudge the score to 32-26 within the minute, with the Falcons climbing back to within one possession at the 5:09 mark. Shortly after, Fitchburg State scored six of the next eight to once again come within one point, as KEVIN BECK would answer a few possessions later with a long distance shot. The Falcons registered a 7-1 spurt over a minute-plus to vault in front by two with 38 seconds remaining, as Mikulka found JAHMIR PAYOUTE on the ensuing trip up the floor to bring the teams even at 42 at the halftime break.
- Montclair kicked off the second half with 11 of the first 14 points over the first three-plus minutes, led by a pair of baskets from Primas, to take a 53-45 advantage. The Falcons trimmed the deficit to five with a jumper plus a free throw, as the Red Hawks would rip off the game's next eight points over the ensuing 96 seconds, a run sparked by four points each from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON and Mikulka. A layup at the 12:34 mark from Fitchburg State halted the spurt, but Montclair countered once again with another run, erupting for 14 of the next 16 over a quick two minutes. MASON THEAR hit his second shot of the run as the half just crossed its halfway mark, making the score 75-62.
- The Falcons closed in with a run of eight-straight points, with Mikulka answering with a three-pointer on the next possession off a feed from Beck. Fitchburg State continued their push, scoring seven consecutive points over 47 seconds to bring the game within 12 at 78-66 with 6:42 on the clock. Shortly after, the Falcons got within 10 on a three-pointer, but the Red Hawks countered with a few key free throws and a pair of makes from Nicholson to balloon the advantage back to 16 with just under four minutes left. The two sides battled the rest of the way, with Montclair holding on to their double-digit lead with another six points from Nicholson to help seal their second victory in as many days.
INSIDE THE RESULTS
- Montclair placed five in double-figures, led by the tournament's Most Valuable Player in Nicholson, who finished the evening with 22 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds.
- Primas, another selection to the All-Tournament team, matched his career-high with 19 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the floor along with seven free throws.
- Mikulka tallied his second-straight double-digit performance to begin his collegiate career, notching 14 points on four three-pointers.
- Beck and Mency round out the group with 10 points each, with Thear registering eight points and a career-best nine rebounds.
- The Red Hawks tallied another strong second half, shooting 50 percent from the floor and collecting 56 points.
- Montclair forced 22 turnovers and generated 31 points on the other end from those extra possessions. They held Fitchburg State to 12 percent shooting from beyond the arc for the game.
- The Red Hawks have opened a season with back-to-back wins for the fifth-straight campaign.
FROM THE COURT
"Proud of the way we navigated a back-to-back to begin the season and come away with two wins for the weekend. We got a lot out of our defense once again, forcing turnovers and flipping that into points on the other end. Our offense did a good job of executing in the second half. We'll return home and looking forward to open the Panzer slate on Wednesday night." - Head Coach Justin Potts
UP NEXT
The Red Hawks will open their 2026-27 home slate against Cairn on Wednesday, November 11. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
