Glassboro, NJ – Freshman guard Myles Mitchell-White scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as Montclair State rallied from a six-point halftime deficit for an 80-68 victory over Rowan University on Saturday afternoon.
Seniors Jovanni Chatham and Jarrett Bogus each added 17 points as the Red Hawks outscored the Profs 43-25 over the final 20 minutes to extend its winning streak to four games. MSU moved to 15-5 on the year, 9-4 in the NJAC which is currently fourth.
A 10-point lead in the first half for Montclair turned into a deficit as the Profs (9-11, 5-8 NJAC) went on a 21-6 run over a five-minute span, taking a 32-27 advantage on a jumper by Manny Lowe with 5:20 to go before halftime. The advantage got to seven points with Rowan taking a 43-37 lead into the break.
But Montclair State turned up the pressure in the second half limiting the Profs to just 26 percent (9-of-35) shooting including 5-of-22 from behind the arc. Meanwhile MSU connected on 16-of-31 from the floor and dominated on the boards with a 32-13 advantage.
T.J. Booth hit from behind the arc giving the Profs a 46-41 lead with 17:55 to play however Rowan went scoreless over the next five-plus minutes with Montclair taking full advantage with a 20-0 run. Bogus tied the game with a jumper and Chatham finished off a break before a three by Daniel Ramis put MSU up 51-46. Chatham scored again on the break with back-to-back field goals by Mitchell-White and Kaan Yilmaz extending the lead to 57-46 with 14:26 remaining. Bogus scored from in close with Yilmaz finishing off the spurt for a 61-46 lead with 12:52 left.
Mitchell-White scored five straight points including a layup with 7:20 left that gave the Red Hawks their largest lead at 72-52. Rowan manage to get within 78-68 with 1:27 to play however Mitchell-White sealed the game with a layup at the other end for the what turned out to be the final margin.
Mitchell-White added eight rebounds and six assists while Bogus and Chatham grabbed eight and six rebounds respectively. Yilmaz (five assists) led MSU with nine boards and added six points. Ramis and Eddie Emedoh had six points apiece.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Wednesday, January 31 hosting local rival William Paterson at the Panzer Athletic Center beginning at 8:00 pm. MSU will be looking to avenge its 84-82 overtime loss to the Pioneers back on December 6 in Wayne, NJ.