Montclair State knocks out NJCU to advance to NJAC semi-finals

Basketball, College, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University

February 19, 2023

The Montclair State Red Hawks defeated the NJCU Gotham Knights 89-69 in the NJAC Tournament quarterfinal round at the Panzer Athletic Center.

Entering the game fresh off a defeat of number one seeded Rowan, Montclair State opened the game with both players in their backcourt knocking down threes to go up 14-8. This lead was very short-lived as NJCU wanted to make a statement of their own and went on a 10-0 run to even the game, eventually taking a four-point lead.

From that early action all the way up to the half, the game was a drag. Both teams combined for 12 points in roughly ten minutes of action. Montclair State found a minor groove with Steve Breeman and Keyon Price knocking down a couple of threes, but each basket was met with a response from the Gotham Knight's Will Brown and Avante Gilbert in the paint.

The Red Hawks (21-4) missed a bunch of open looks in the first half. However, their defense was solid and they had a huge assist from the home crowd. They gave an earful to NJCU whenever they crossed half-court near the student section, making it hard for them to develop any plays. A couple of times, the crowd faked out the Knights by counting down the shot clock five seconds before it expired, forcing NJCU to throw up a shot when they still had time on the clock.

The game's momentum was neutral, as the score was practically even or within a bucket. However, the first glimmer of momentum for Montclair State came from Kiernan Flanagan as he heaved up and converted a deep three-pointer with the first-half clock expiring to give the Red Hawks their first two-possession lead at 36-30 at the half.

Montclair State came out confident in the second half led by Price, who had a career-high 31 points. NJCU's 6'6" big man and 2021 NJAC first-team selection Yvens Montfleury was in foul trouble throughout the game, allowing Price to consistently take it to the hole and convert an easy layup or get fouled. While the Red Hawks soared on offense in the second half totaling 53 points, every basket was quickly met with fast responses from the Gotham Knights, cracking the Red Hawks' full-court press. The first ten minutes of the second half were a clean exchange, as Montclair State led 57-51 with roughly eight minutes left.

The first breakaway score for the Red Hawks was a Flanagan steal and pass to the sharpshooter Mike Jackson who converted a wide-open three to give them a nine-point lead. Jackson was quiet in the first half, but with the way Price kept driving to the hole, passes went to Jackson, as he scored 16 points in the second half. After a four-minute drought on offense from NJCU (12-14), Montclair State began to pour it on. Missed shots were quickly grabbed and converted into knockdown threes or consistent trips to the foul line by Price. What was a nail-biter five minutes prior turned into a 12-0 run from Montclair and a 72-51 lead.

Even when Montfleury returned and was getting fouled, he couldn't convert on foul shots, which only made the Red Hawk student section roar louder and hindered the Gotham Knights' momentum greatly. The Knights could never get the lead under 20 from that point out, and Price gave them the final blow knocking down a contested mid-range shot to put the game at 81-55. Montclair State head coach Justin Potts pulled the starters and slowed the game down to run out the clock and advance to the semifinals with an 89-69 victory.

While the season is over for the NJCU Gotham Knights, Montclair State will have a quick turnaround as they will have to head into Galloway on Tuesday to take on the number two seed Stockton University. This matchup is a rematch of the NJAC semifinal game from last year that saw Stockton win in a rout 92-78.