Montclair, NJ – Freshman guard Erick Loften-Harris (Union, NJ / Union) hit a floater in the lane from the left side with 15 seconds lifting Montclair State to a 70-69 upset of No. 23 Richard Stockton at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Angel Gonzalez (Ocala, FL / Meadowbrook Academy) finished with 21 points for the Red Hawks (6-7, 3-4 NJAC), who rallied back from an 11-point deficit in the second half for its first win over the Ospreys since a one-point (61-60) win in the opening round of the NJAC Tournament on February 19, 2011.
Senior forward Nnamdi Usuwa (Avenel, NJ / Colonia) posted game highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds for Richard Stockton, which had its six-game winning streak snapped as it fell to 11-2 overall, 5-2 in the NJAC.
Richard Stockton led 53-42 near the midpoint of the half before the Red Hawks battled back with a 20-9 run tying the game at 62-62 on two free throws by Daniel Singleton (Neptune, NJ / Neptune) with 2:59 to play. Usuwa, who had 20 of his points in the second half answered with two free throws and added two more with 2:13 to go giving the Ospreys a 66-62 advantage. Loften-Harris countered with two from the foul line and Singleton's layup with 1:36 left tied game for the eighth time.
Montclair State senior Ordel Goldson (Hackettstown, NJ / Warren Hills) put back a missed shot with 1:04 to play putting MSU in from 68-66. Stockton's James Williams (Englewood, NJ / Dwight-Morrow) missed a three-pointer at the other end with the defensive rebound picked up by MSU. However the outlet pass became a turnover which led to the go-ahead point by Stockton as Rameel Johnson (Newark, NJ / Science Park) was fouled with 29 seconds remaining.
Johnson made the first and missed the second but alertly grabbed the offensive rebound and laid the ball in with 24 seconds left for a 69-68 Osprey lead. Montclair State called timeout and took possession inside the half court. Loften-Harris, who finished with 11 points, dribbled on the right side and cut across the key before flipping a 13-footer through the net giving Montclair State a 70-69 lead.
Williams came down the other end and missed a jumper from the left side with seven seconds left. Josh Blamon (Cinnaminson, NJ / Cinnaminson) got the rebound but his layup went short and putback attempt by Usuwa went off the mark. A tie-up on the loose ball with 1.4 seconds to play gave Richard Stockton one last chance.
After a timeout, the Ospreys inbounded the ball from under the basket and Rich Suhr (Toms River, NJ / Toms River East) broke free of a defender on the opposite side. But Suhr's reverse layup attempt rolled off the rim giving the Red Hawks the victory.
Singleton finished with 17 points as MSU overcame a 49-36 deficit on the glass. Goldson had eight points, eight rebounds and three steals while Gonzalez had a pair of rebounds and assists while making five three-pointers. Chris Torres (Oakland, NJ / Indian Hills) chipped in with seven points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
Johnson posted a double-double for Richard Stockton with 12 points, 10 rebounds while collecting two assists and four steals. Williams, the former NJAC Rookie of the Year for Montclair State finished with 10 points.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday, January 15 with home NJAC contests. Montclair State hosts The College of New Jersey while the Ospreys take on Rowan with both games scheduled for 8:00 pm.