Montclair, NJ – The #1 Montclair State University men's basketball team clinched its second consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship on Wednesday night, defeating NJCU 98-85 at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (23-0, 16-0 NJAC) notched five of the first seven points of the night on a three-pointer from JACOB MORALES and a driving layup from CHRISTIAN CEVIS. NJCU countered with a 7-2 scoring run over the next two and half minutes to take the lead after the opening five. On the next trip up the floor, KABRIEN GOSS found RYAN CASSELS for a three-pointer from the wing to vault Montclair back in front. The visitors countered with eight of the next 11 to build a 17-13 advantage with 13:12 on the clock, with the two sides holding each other scoreless over the next three minutes.
• Montclair tallied a quick five points, highlighted by a layup from AHMAD ROBERTSON, to level the game as the half crossed its halfway point. Cevis added to the stretch with a layup off a feed from Robertson to help the Red Hawks regain the lead with nine minutes left. Both teams traded buckets over the next minute, with the Gothic Knights climbing back ahead by one, 26-25. The home side parachuted back into the lead with long distance shots from Goss and Morales, and would later expand the advantage to double-digits on threes from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON and Morales. In the final moments of the frame, KUNGA TSERING rattled in a dunk, with Montclair generating a turnover off the ensuing in-bound, leading to an and-one conversion from KEVIN BECK to make the score 49-35 going into the break.
• NJCU started the second half strong with seven of the first nine points to climb within nine before Nicholson provided an immediate answer with a layup on the other end. Nicholson added to the lead and extended it to 14 on a three-pointer before the Gothic Knights once again got within nine at the 16:18 mark. A minute after Cassels drained another shot from beyond the arc, the two sides traded the next five baskets, with a free throw from MYLES PRIMAS nudging the gap to 13, 66-53. The visitors mounted another run, putting together a 8-2 stretch over the next two minutes to get within seven at the 12-minute mark. Morales accumulated the game's next five points to once again put the Red Hawks in front by double figures with the clock ticking under 10 minutes.
• A pair of key baskets from Tsering helped maintain the lead, with Montclair sitting at 80-66 with 6:54 remaining. A quick response from NJCU pulled them back to single digits over the next 30 seconds, and they would later get within eight points shortly after. On the resulting possession, Cassels sank another three-pointer, but the visitors provided another quick spurt to make the score 84-77. With the margin remaining at seven with four and a half minutes left, Robertson found Beck for a corner three and Goss converted a pair of free throws to extend the difference to 12. Montclair put the final offensive stretch together in the final minutes, receiving a three-pointer from Robertson and a driving layup from Morales. Both defenses tightened up, with only two points being recorded over the final two minutes as the Red Hawks sealed the home victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair clinched its second-straight NJAC Regular Season Championship with the win while setting a new program record for conference victories at 16. The previous mark of 15 was held by both the 1983-84 and 2022-23 teams. Montclair has won 57 NJAC regular season games over the last four seasons, the most of any four-year stretch in the history of the program.
• The Red Hawks extended their season-opening win streak to 23 games, remaining the only undefeated team in Division III in the nation. Across all three levels, Montclair is one of three remaining unbeaten teams across the country.
• The 23-game winning streak is the third-longest stretch in the history of the NJAC, and is also the fifth-longest win streak in the history of Montclair Athletics.
• Morales guided the way offensively for Montclair, pouring in a game-high 28 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor, hitting a season-best seven three-pointers. He has amassed 92 points over his last four contests.
• Nicholson tallied his third consecutive double-digit performance, finishing with 15 points while adding five rebounds and five assists. 
• Robertson was the final Red Hawk in double-figures with a key 13 points off the bench, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-5 from long distance.
• Cevis and Cassels each totaled nine points, with Goss orchestrating the offense with a game-high seven assists. 
• Montclair shot 49 percent from the floor for the night, including 55 percent in the second half. The Red Hawks tallied 19 three-pointers, matching their season-high that they have recorded in each of the last two games, finishing the contest at 44 percent. 
• The Red Hawks are averaging 83.6 points per game, which sits atop the conference and ranks seventh in the nation. They totaled 25 assists during the contest and are averaging a nation-leading 21.7 per game while totaling a Division III best 477 through 23 games.

FROM THE COURT

"Really good NJAC battle, appreciate all of the support we had at Panzer tonight. I thought we shot the ball well in both halves and were able to get some key buckets when we needed them. It's never easy to win in this league, proud of the guys for what they've done to clinch the regular season title. We will get back to work tomorrow and look forward to senior day on Saturday." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will host Kean on Senior Day on Saturday, February 14. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 1:00 PM.