Montclair, NJ – The #1 Montclair State University Men's Basketball team notched its 24th consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Kean 79-55 on Senior Day at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (24-0, 17-0 NJAC) battled the Cougars in what would be a defensive first half. After Kean notched the opening bucket of the day, JACOB MORALES found KABRIEN GOSS for a jumper to equalize, with a long distance shot from Morales pushing Montclair in front. CHRISTIAN CEVIS rattled in a three to extend the lead to two possessions, with a layup from ANDREW MARTIN making the score 10-3 after five minutes. The visitors countered with the game's next six points over the resulting two minutes before MYLES PRIMAS threw down a dunk to halt the run on the next possession. The combination of Morales and Goss helped nudge the lead back to seven with 11 minutes on the clock, but Kean would creep back within four as the half crossed its midway point. 
• Two minutes later, Goss fed Primas for his second dunk of the afternoon, but a three-pointer off a turnover for Kean cut the difference to one possession 30 seconds later. That shot jumpstarted what would be a 7-0 run for the Cougars over a three-minute span to push them in front, 22-21. After the two sides traded  baskets, a three-pointer from RYAN CASSELS vaulted Montclair back in front, with Goss nailing a stepback jumper to add to the advantage with 2:04 on the clock. Kean tallied a free throw shortly after, but the Red Hawks closed the half strong with seven points over the final 90 seconds, kicked off by a layup from Primas. CRISTIAN NICHOLSON drained a shot from beyond the arc, leading to a layup off a Kean turnover from Morales in the waning seconds to make the score 35-25 in favor of the Red Hawks.
• Montclair continued to work offensively in the beginning moments of the second stanza, as Goss found Morales for a pull-up three-pointer on the opening trip up the floor. Goss hit a three-pointer of his own on the next possession to increase the difference to 14 points. Both teams would exchange points over the next few minutes, as Cassels would connect on another key three-pointer off a pass from Nicholson to steady the lead. With the lead at 11 as the game approached its final 10 minutes of play, AHMAD ROBERTSON slotted a pass to Goss, who converted another long distance attempt to continue the strong shooting from beyond the arc in the second half.
• Kean notched a pair of baskets to cut the margin to 10 two minutes later, but they were met once again with a three-pointer from the Red Hawks, this time from Nicholson. Morales and Cevis combined for four points over the next few minutes to make the score 63-47 with 5:57 remaining, as the teams would each convert two free throws on consecutive possessions. Nicholson found Cevis for a layup cutting to the basket, and Primas notched his third dunk of the day to increase the lead to 20. With the difference 16 with two minutes on the clock, Morales scored the final eight points of the afternoon to help Montclair seal the victory and close out its regular season home slate.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Montclair extended its season-opening win streak to 24 games while adding to its program record 17 New Jersey Athletic Conference victories this season. The Red Hawks have won 58 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 remained the last undefeated team in Division III and are now one of three undefeated teams left across all three levels.
• With the victory, Montclair tied Rowan's 1993-94 team for the second-longest winning streak in the history of the NJAC, one shy of the all-time mark set by TCNJ in 1988-89.
• Morales surpassed 1,000 points for his two-year Montclair tenure during the contest, finishing with a game-high 25 points while grabbing eight rebounds and four steals. He recorded his fourth 20-point performance over his last five games, averaging 23.4 points per game during that stretch. 
• Goss tallied 13 points and seven assists, shooting 5-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. He has accumulated 51 assists over his last seven games, averaging just over seven per game. The sophomore ranks third in the nation with 146, six behind the Division III lead.
• Nicholson recorded a well-rounded statline of 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Primas was the final Red Hawk in double-figures with 10 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-7 shooting from the field. 
• Montclair shot 52 percent from the floor for the day and forced 21 turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. They have forced 20 or more turnovers in 17 games this season, 70 percent of their total slate. They also held Kean to 55 points, marking a new season-low for the Red Hawks defensively.
• The Red Hawks totaled 24 assists, their 18th game this season with 20 or more for a game. They lead the country with 526 through 24 games, averaging 21.9 per contest.
• The program honored its senior group of Cassels, Cevis, KUNGA TSERING, TYSON ALLEN, and Morales. Over the past two seasons that the group has been together in full for, they have helped the Red Hawks win 46 games, two NJAC Regular Season Championships, an NJAC Tournament Championship, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance where they notched the program's first victory in the competition since 2003.

FROM THE COURT

"It was another tough NJAC game today. Really appreciate all the support we had in Panzer, it was a great environment. I thought we shot the ball really well throughout the entire afternoon and had a great defensive performance with a season-low in points allowed. Proud of our senior class and thankful for all of the contributions they have made to our program. We will get back in the gym Monday to prepare for a tough matchup on the road next week." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will close out the regular season against The College of New Jersey on Wednesday, February 18. Tip-off from Ewing, NJ is scheduled for 7:00 PM.