MONTCLAIR, N.J. (Jan. 20, 2024) – Junior guard Mike Jackson scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the opening half to propel the Montclair State University men's basketball team to an 18-point lead. The Red Hawks went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 97-72, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.
 
The Scarlet Raptors fell to 9-9 overall and 4-7 in the NJAC, while the Red Hawks improved to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the conference with their third straight victory.
 
The Red Hawks used runs of 10, nine and eight points in the opening half as they steadily pulled away from an early 10-9 advantage. The nine-point run opened the game to double digits at 19-9 and the 10-point run, late in the half, lifted the Red Hawks from a 40-28 lead to a 50-28 advantage.
 
Sophomore guard Samar Abdullah added 15 points to Jackson's 23-point output. Senior center Francisco Paulino collected 12 points, Junior guard Quantavious Rogers netted 11 and senior guard Keyon Pryce added 10 points and a game-high eight assists.
 
The Scarlet Raptors received 17 points from sophomore guard Jordan Trusty-Smith, while sophomore forwards Cameron Downs and Cherif Kanoute, and junior guard Eric Benjamin all scored 13 points. Trusty-Smith added a team-high four assists, while graduate guard Javon Gordon collected a game-high six rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 30-for-56 (53.6 percent) from the floor and MSU went 34-for-69 (49.3). The Scarlet Raptors also had a 32-30 edge off the boards, but the Red Hawks went 19-for-21 (90.5) from the foul line as opposed to 6-for-8 (75.0) for Rutgers-Camden. Montclair State also forced 29 Scarlet Raptor turnovers.
 
The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Wednesday with a 5:30 p.m. game at Stockton University.