Montclair, NJ- The #6 Montclair State University men's basketball team looks to secure back-to-back NJAC titles as it hosts receiving votes TCNJ for the NJAC title game on Saturday afternoon.
 
GAME INFO
Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is set for 1:00 p.m. Live coverage of the game can be found at monclairathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair and Rowan fought tooth-and-nail, but a late run by Montclair propelled them to an 89-75 win against the Profs in the semifinal round. The Red Hawks (25-1) opened with the first five points of the night on a dunk from MYLES PRIMAS and a three-pointer from CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, and would later take an 8-2 lead on a long-distance make from KABRIEN GOSS two minutes in. Rowan would shave the difference to one 90 seconds later, but they were immediately answered with a three-pointer from JACOB MORALES. The long-distance barrage continued for the home side, as Goss poured in another pair to make the score 19-13 at the 13:58 mark of the opening stanza. After the Profs scored on the next possession, KUNGA TSERING slotted a pass to RYAN CASSELS, who drained a shot from well beyond the arc to force a Rowan timeout. The Red Hawks would later expand the lead to double-digits on another three from Goss, but Rowan responded with the next five to cut the gap in half with the period crossing the midway point. Goss hit again from long distance to make the score 30-22 shortly after, with CHRISTIAN CEVIS hitting one of his own to make the margin seven as the clock approached seven minutes. Rowan countered with a 10-2 scoring run over the next two minutes to surge in front by one before Montclair nudged back in front with a pair of free throws from ANDREW MARTIN on the ensuing possession. The Red Hawks climbed back ahead by five with a jumper from Morales and a three-pointer from AHMAD ROBERTSON with 1:57 on the clock. Rowan connected on five of six free throws over the remainder of the half to equalize at 42 going into the halftime break. The Profs continued their stretch into the second period with another eight consecutive points to build a 50-42 advantage, forcing a Montclair timeout. Cevis sliced to the bucket for a layup coming out of the stoppage, and after a bucket on the other end from Rowan, the Red Hawks got a corner three from Primas to make the margin five after three minutes. After Morales brought the game within one possession a minute after, the visitors strung together another eight points in a row to increase their lead to a game-high 12 with just under 13 minutes remaining. Cevis drained a three off a feed from Tsering, and Cassels generated a turnover and hit a shot of his own from long range to spark what would be the 32-7 stretch for the Red Hawks. Following a Rowan free throw, Nicholson converted an and-one opportunity to kickstart a run for the Red Hawks in which they rattled off 17-straight points spanning five and a half minutes, shooting 6-for-11 from the field. The Profs briefly cut the gap to single digits, but Primas rattled home another dunk following a turnover from the visitors with 4:31 on the clock. Morales sank a three-pointer a minute later to make the margin 11, with Nicholson pushing it to 13 on a jumper with 90 seconds on the clock. Rowan got within eight with 47 seconds left, but the Red Hawks hit all six of their free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the postseason victory.
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (25-1, 17-1 NJAC)
Points Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 19.3
Rebounds Per Game: JACOB MORALES, 6.1
Field goal percentage: KUNGA TSERING, .647
Three Point Percentage: AHMAD ROBERTSON, .490
Free throw Percentage: KABRIEN GOSS, .870
Assists: KABRIEN GOSS, 151
Steals: CRISTIAN NICHOLSON, 49
Blocks: MYLES PRIMAS, 23
 
TCNJ (20-6, 14-4 NJAC)
Points Per Game: Nick Koch, 22.7
Rebounds Per Game: Matthew Solomon, 11.3
Field goal percentage: Khalid Bakare, .540
Three Point Percentage: Mason Mangione, .392
Free throw Percentage: Jonathan Okocha, .803
Assists: Nick Koch, 120
Steals: Two tied with 34
Blocks: Matthew Solomon, 10
 
SCOUTING TCNJ
The Lions enter this matchup on a hot streak, winning 10 of their past 11 games. They entered the conference tournament as the second seed with a 20-6 overall record and a 14-4 NJAC record. TCNJ earned its spot in the championship game with a 76-66 win against third-seeded Stockton on Wednesday. Last season, TCNJ compiled a 20-8 record and a 12-6 mark in the NJAC. They entered the conference tournament as the fifth seed, where they edged Kean, 90-87, before falling to Montclair, 80-62, in the semifinals. TCNJ earned itself an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but suffered a 98-96 defeat at the hands of Pitt-Bradford in the first round. According to the 2025-26 NJAC Preseason poll, the Lions were slated to be the runners-up to Montclair in the conference this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Hawks and the Lions meet for the 182^nd time in their rivalry and meet each other in the NJAC playoffs for the second-straight season. Montclair is 105-75 all-time against TCNJ and has won nine of the last 10 matchups.
 
LAST MEETING
These two teams met just last week on February 18 in the regular-season finale down in Ewing, NJ. The Lions became the lone stain on the Red Hawks' record after coming away with a 94-85 win.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of the matchup will not only be crowned NJAC Champion, but also earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament are set for Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8. Times and location to be determined on Monday, March 2, after the 1:00 p.m. selection show.