Montclair, NJ – The #6 Montclair State University Men's Basketball team used a 32-7 run in the second half to tilt the NJAC Semifinals in their favor, storming back to defeat Rowan 89-75 on Wednesday night at the Panzer Athletic Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (25-1) opened with the first five points of the night on a dunk from Myles Primas and three-pointer from Cristian Nicholson and would later take a 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 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 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.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• With the victory, the Red Hawks set a new program record in wins for a single season, surpassing the mark recorded by the 1968-69 team 
• Montclair has won at least one game in each of the past five NJAC Tournaments, marking their first postseason victory over Rowan since 2018.
• Goss led the way offensively for the Red Hawks with 25 points, hitting a career-high seven three-pointers. He has surpassed 20 points in six games this season.
• Morales notched 14 points for his seventh-straight double-digit performance, with Nicholson adding 12 points along with four assists.
• Primas was the final Red Hawk in double figures, recording his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He dominated the offensive glass with a game-high five boards.
• Montclair shot 43 percent from the floor for the night and 45 percent from deep. They converted 10 of 18 three-pointers (55 percent) during their first half barrage.
• Defensively, the Red Hawks forced 19 turnovers and flipped them into 21 points on the other end.
• The Red Hawks will play for their second consecutive NJAC Championship on Saturday afternoon, marking the first time since 1994-95 that they have played for the conference's title in back-to-back years.

FROM THE COURT

"Incredible environment in Panzer tonight, appreciate everyone coming out to support. Credit to Rowan, I thought they played great. I'm proud of our guys for their ability to respond in the second half. Excited to see everyone back in Panzer on Saturday." - Head Coach Justin Potts

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will host the second-seeded TCNJ on Saturday, February 28, for the 2025-26 NJAC Championship. Tip-off from the Panzer Athletic Center is scheduled for 1:00 PM.