Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State men's basketball team spoiled New Jersey City University's debut as nationally-ranked team squad as the Red Hawks upset the No. 23 Gothic Knights, 48-46 at the Panzer Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.

The Red Hawks (7-6, 4-2 NJAC) won their second straight but survived a last-minute charge from NJCU, including two missed free throws with two seconds remaining. The Gothic Knights, who were ranked in the latest D3Hoops.com Top 25, fell to 11-2 overall, 5-1 in the NJAC.

Senior Brandon Channer, who finished with 13 points, hit two foul shots that turned out to be the difference. It was the second consecutive year that MSU edged NJCU as the Gothic Knights sat atop the conference standings. Last year Montclair won a 72-1 contest at home.

Montclair led by as many as 14 points in the first half and then had to battle back from four-points down late in the second before an 11-0 run got them in the lead for good. MSU then held off a last-chance spurt by NJCU as Jalen Harris hit two three's in a 17-second span to make the score 47-46 with 11 ticks to play.

Channer was fouled with six seconds and made the latter of two attempts giving Montclair the two-point advantage. NJCU pushed the ball up the floor and senior guard Ata Robison was fouled along the sideline with :02 left. Robinson missed both attempts with Channer grabbing the rebound and running out the clock for the win.

Montclair started strong with the first five points of the game and grabbed an 11-2 lead as Jarrett Bogus finished off a break with 14:23 left.  The Red Hawks held NJCU to just nine points in the first 16 minutes as the Gothic Knights struggled from the field making just 5-of-25 from the field, including 1-of-10 from behind the arc.

Bogus gave Montclair State its biggest lead a 23-9 however, the Red Hawks were held without a field goal over the final seven minutes and a five-point run to close the half got NJCU within striking distance at 23-14.

The drought from the floor continued into the second half as Montclair managed to hold on to the lead. Bogus ended the 12-minute string on a layup and two field goals by Jordan Roberson gave MSU a 31-24 lead with 13:43 to go. New Jersey City went on a 13-2 run over the next seven minutes with Kevin Brown's three putting the Gothic Knights up 36-33. Shaquan Worth added a free throw for a four-point lead with 5:51 left.

The Red Hawks countered with their 11-point run. Justin Porter started it off with a three pointer and five in a row by Vince Anfield gave Montclair a 41-37 lead. Bogus hit one from the line and Daniel Ramis drilled a three from the right corner making the score 45-37 with 2:11 left.

NJCU closed within 45-42 on a Robinson three with 56 seconds remaining. Roberson answered with a layup pushing the lead back to five points, 47-42. Jalen Harris hit one foul shot with 28 seconds and added a three off a turnover with 11 seconds showing.

Both teams struggled from the floor. Montclair shot 32 percent for the game while NJCU was only 14-of-48 (29 percent).  Bogus finished with 11 points and six rebounds while Roberson registered nine points and nine rebounds. Anfield added nine points with Porter and Ramis each getting three points and six rebounds.

MSU will get an extra day of rest before it returns to action on Sunday, January 8 in Galloway Township, NJ against Stockton University. Tip-off is set for 4:00 pm at the Stockton Sports Center.