Montclair, NJ- After an extraordinary regular season, the #6 Montclair State University men's basketball team starts its postseason run in the NJAC Semifinals, hosting Rowan on Wednesday night
 
GAME INFO
Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is set for 7:00 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair could not complete its journey for an undefeated regular season after being bested on the road at RV TCNJ, 94-85, this past Wednesday. The Red Hawks (24-1, 17-1 NJAC) played a tightly-contested opening three minutes, with both sides tallying four points each. TCNJ notched a layup and three-pointer on consecutive possessions to open a five-point advantage, but JACOB MORALES hit a pair of three-pointers to make the score 12-10 in favor of the home side after five minutes. Trailing by four shortly later, the Red Hawks rattled off the game's next six points, including four from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, to surge ahead by two at the 14-minute mark. After the Lions countered with four of their own coming out of a timeout, KABRIEN GOSS rattled in a three-pointer on the next trip up the floor. The two sides continued to trade the lead over the resulting minutes, with another Goss shot from long distance putting the visitors in front 25-24 at the midway point of the opening stanza. With TCNJ holding a slim one-point lead 90 seconds later, Goss drove to the basket to spark what would be a 6-0 spurt for the Red Hawks, who took a 31-26 advantage on a layup from Morales. Following a TCNJ layup on the next possession, Nicholson and CHRISTIAN CEVIS each tallied a basket to grow the lead to seven with six minutes on the clock. As the margin remained at seven, the Lions climbed back into the contest with a 10-2 scoring run over the next three and a half minutes to go back in front by one. Morales put Montclair back in front with a layup at the 1:44 mark of the period, as a three-pointer from the home side with 20 seconds remaining put them into the lead going into the break, 43-41. The two sides came out of halftime still within a one-possession margin over the first two minutes, with a jumper from ANDREW MARTIN leveling the contest at 47. TCNJ countered with the next five points before the Red Hawks climbed within one possession again on a pair of free throws from Goss at the 16:36 mark. Another stretch for the Lions pushed them in front by double-digits, 61-51, after they tallied nine of the next 11 points. As the half continued to tilt on runs, Montclair rattled off eight consecutive points, led by seven from Morales, to catapult back within one possession with just over 12 minutes remaining. The home side nudged the lead back to seven before Morales drained a pull-up jumper and Goss hit a three-pointer to make the gap two once again with 9:09 on the clock. TCNJ connected on a shot from beyond the arc immediately after, and a layup on the next possession forced a timeout from the visitors. KUNGA TSERING threw down a dunk coming out of the stoppage, but the Lions reopened a double-digit lead at 81-69 with a 7-0 run. As the game clock went under four minutes, Goss converted a pull-up jumper before TCNJ notched six of the next seven points to go up by 14 with 2:14 remaining. The combination of Morales and Goss trimmed the difference to 11, with the duo kicking off a 8-1 spark for Montclair to cut the game to seven points with 49 seconds left. That would be the closest the Red Hawks would get the rest of the way as TCNJ sealed the victory in the regular season finale.
 
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (24-0, 17-0 NJAC)
Points Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 19.0
Rebounds Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 6.1
Field goal percentage: KUNGA TSERING, .671
Three Point Percentage: AHMAD ROBERTSON, .489
Free throw Percentage: KABRIEN GOSS, .868
Assists: KABRIEN GOSS, 146
Steals: CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, 44
Blocks: MYLES PRIMAS, 21
 
ROWAN (10-16, 9-9 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Taz Cantey, 17.6
Rebounds Per Game: Khalil Baker, 7.5
 Field goal Percentage: Ife Okebiorun, .549
Three Point Percentage: CJ Hayes, .455
Free throw Percentage: Brycen Williams, .818
Assists: Taz Cantey, 85
Steals: Taz Cantey, 48
Blocks: Ife Okebiorun, 39
 
SCOUTING ROWAN
The Profs enter this matchup as the fifth seed in the NJAC Playoffs, entering the semifinal round after a 73-61 win on the road at fourth-seeded New Jersey City on Saturday. Last season, Rowan went 12-14 overall and 9-9 in the conference and reached the NJAC quarterfinals, where they were bested by Stockton, 83-78. They were picked fourth in the 2025-26 NJAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and received two first-place votes.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
The rivalry with the Red Hawks and the Profs enters contest number 141. Rowan owns the series at a record of 78-62, but Montclair has won four of the last five and five of the last seven contests. This will also be the first time they matchup in the playoffs since 2019.
 
LAST MEETING
The Red Hawks went on the road to Glassboro on January 21, and came away with a 99-87 win to complete the regular-season sweep.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of this matchup will compete for the NJAC title on Saturday, February 28. The victor will face either second-seeded TCNJ or third-seeded Stockton.