CAMDEN, N.J. (Jan. 9, 2019) – Junior guard Akbar Hoffman scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the second half to power the Montclair State University men's basketball team to a comeback 86-65 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.
 
The Red Hawks improve to 11-4 overall and 6-2 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 2-13 and 2-6.
 
Montclair State owns a 54-10 lead over Rutgers-Camden in the all-time series and has won 11 of its last 12 games against the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Camden led, 41-31, at halftime, aided by a long three-pointer by sophomore guard Kyle Goodson Jr. at the halftime buzzer. Freshman guard Adam Perry and sophomore guard Ian McCarthy paced the Raptor attack in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Hoffman had nine first-half points for the Red Hawks, despite shooting 1-for-7 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
 
It was a different story in the second half for Hoffman, who buried two treys immediately after the break, cutting the Raptor lead to 41-37. Montclair State added a layup by senior forward/center Jordan Roberson and a trey by junior guard/forward Justin Porter and, before the second half had barely started, the Red Hawks held a 42-41 advantage. They added another three-pointer by Porter to extend their run to 14 points and take a 45-41 lead before Perry ended the string with a pair of free throws. Those shots made it a 45-43 game, the closest the Scarlet Raptors got to the Red Hawks the rest of the evening.
 
Hoffman, meanwhile, was on fire from long range in the second half, hitting seven of his nine three-point attempts to finish his night 8-for-16 from beyond the arc. After the Red Hawks shot 2-for-14 on three-point attempts as a team during the opening half, they were 12-for-19 after the intermission.
 
In addition to Hoffman's huge performance, Porter finished with 17 points and added eight rebounds for Montclair State, while Roberson notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Montclair State held a 49-19 advantage off the boards.
 
Sophomore guard Myles Mitchell-White dished off a game-high seven assists, including five in the second half.
 
Rutgers-Camden placed four players in double figures, led by a career-high 15 points from Goodson Jr., pictured above. He passed his previous high of 14, set against Penn State-Schuylkill on Nov. 13.
 
Senior guard Trai Greer scored 14 points for the Scarlet Raptors, while McCarthy and Perry both finished with 13. Greer and Perry led the Raptors with three assists apiece.
 
Montclair State finished the night shooting 25-for-55 (45.5 percent) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden was 20-for-51 (39.2).
 
Rutgers-Camden faces another strong NJAC team on Saturday when the Scarlet Raptors host New Jersey City University at 3 p.m.