Ewing, NJ – Senior guard Daniel Singleton (Neptune, NJ, Neptune) scored 20 points while junior Chris Torres (Oakland, NJ, Indian Hills) came up with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds as Montclair State claimed the final spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament with a 68-58 victory over The College of New Jersey on Wednesday evening.

Senior forward Ordel Goldson (Hackettstown, NJ, Warren Hills) had 19 points as the Red Hawks (11-13), the No. 6 seed, registered their second straight "must-win" game and will now play in the first round on Saturday, February 22 at third-seeded Rutgers-Newark. The winner advances to the semifinals on Wednesday, February 26 at No. 2 seed William Paterson.

It will be Montclair's first trip to the conference tournament since falling in the 2011 championship game and the first tournament meeting between MSU and the Scarlet Raiders since 2009 when Rutgers-Newark edged Montclair State 58-57 in the semifinals at the MSU Student Recreation Center on Greg Moore's three-point with one second remaining.

The Scarlet Raiders, who also defeated MSU in the opening round of the 2006 tournament, captured both regular-season meetings winning 87-70 in Newark in December and posting a 91-69 victory at the Panzer Athletic Center on January 25.

The Red Hawks, who finished 8-10 in league play, needed a victory as it entered the day tied with Rowan for the final spot. Most scenarios on the final day's outcomes in the league would put MSU into the postseason however it all centered around a Montclair State win which MSU got avenging a 74-72 loss to TCNJ at home on January 15.

Goldson and Singleton had 11 points apiece in the first half as Montclair overcame an early five-point deficit.  Down 13-9 with 13 minutes to play in the opening period, MSU scored seven straight points as James D'Angelo (Long Valley, NJ, West Morris Central) hit a jumper and Goldson followed tying the game before Angel Gonzalez (Ocala, FL, Meadowbrook Academy) drilled a three-pointer for a 16-13 advantage with 10:27 to play. After the Lions tied the game at 16-16 Goldson scored back-to-back buckets putting Montclair in front by four.

Joe Kane pulled the Lions within 22-21 with 5:40 to go but Goldson scored with Torres adding a basket on the next possession  as MSU would take a 29-27 lead into the break.

In the second half, New Jersey would tie the game twice, the last one coming at 42-42 with 11:37 left as Alex Fox finished off a break with a layup. Torres, who also had five steals, answered with a layup and Singleton's layup with 8:56 remaining put Montclair up 46-42.

The Red Hawks would hold off the Lions for the next five minutes before making the decisive run in the game with just under four minutes to play. Leading 55-51 Gonzalez hit two from the line and buried a jumper expanding the lead to eight points.  Goldson added a jumper before Gonzalez delivered the biggest blow, a three-pointer with 1:27 left for a 64-51 Red Hawk advantage.

Goldson, who grabbed eight rebounds, moved within one point of becoming the first Red Hawk player to score 1,000 points since Gian Paul Gonzalez in 2006. Angel Gonzalez finished 12 points and six rebounds while D'Angelo chipped in with six points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals.