SOURCE: https://njcugothicknights.com/news/2018/12/5/201812-05_MBASKETBALL_at_Montclair_State.aspx

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In the first meeting this year between the preseason favorite (New Jersey City University) and No. 2 (Montclair State University) ranked teams in the New Jersey Athletic Conference poll, NJCU rallied from an 18-point second half deficit to twice draw within one in the final six minutes but couldn't complete the comeback and fell 81-76 to the Red Hawks on December 5 at Panzer Athletic Center. Both schools were receiving votes in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
 
Trailing by 16 at halftime (49-33), 18 in the opening minute of the second half and by 17 (60-43) with 14:40 to play, the Gothic Knights (6-3, 2-2 NJAC) shaved the deficit to 69-68 with 6:14 left and again, 73-72, with 3:12 remaining.
 
But Montclair State (8-1, 4-0 NJAC) was saved by an impressive 31-point performance by junior guard Akbar Hoffman (Newark, N.J.). His sixth three of the game in eight tries with 2:52 to go elevated the lead to 76-72 and he went on to score seven straight points for MSU. His final jumper with 55 seconds remaining was critical. NJCU battled back again to cut it to 78-76 after a jumper (1:47) and layup off a Hoffman turnover (1:21) —both buckets  by sophomore center Chika Wosu (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter))— before Hoffman's shot made it 80-76, and NJCU couldn't connect on its final two three-point tries in the final minute.
 
Hoffman matched his career high with 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 35 minutes to lead four MSU players in double figures.
 
NJCU junior All-American Sam Toney (Plainfield, NJ/Williamstown) scored nine of NJCU's first 11 points, including three triples in the first four minutes of the game. He finished with 20 points (7-16 FG, 3-7 3FG) and nine rebounds in 28 minutes. It was his 50th career double-digit scoring effort.
 
Senior power forward Yuri Brutus (Roselle, NJ/Roselle Park) had 12 points (6-10 FG) and seven boards, sophomore shooting guard Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/(East Orange Campus) added 10 points (5-13 FG) and nine rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench and senior shooting guard Lavrone Green (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) finished with 10 (4-8 FG).
 
The Red Hawks shot 50.9 percent for the game (28-55) and 9-of-16 from long range (56.3 percent) to overcome NJCU's 20-11 advantage on second chance scoring and 19-8 edge in points off turnovers. NJCU only committed 10 turnovers all game.
 
Sophomore guard Myles Mitchell-White (Trenton, N.J.) scored 13 points with six rebounds and five assists, sophomore forward Irving Callendar IV (Somerset, N.J.) added 12 points and 6-foot-8 junior center Eddie Emedoh (Hackensack, N.J.) produced 10 points. Junior forward Jalen Parham (Hillsborough, N.J.) had a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
In the first half, MSU turned a three-point game (18-15) into a double-digit lead, thanks to a 10-0 run over four and a half minutes. NJCU couldn't get the deficit back into single digits until mounting its comeback in the final half of the second period.
 
A Wosu three-point play cut it to single digits with 10:19 to play (62-55) and when senior guard James Richardson (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder) hit a jumper (9:24, 62-57) and Brutus sank a shot for his 10th point with 8:48 to play, suddenly it was a one-possession game (62-59). Two foul shots by Toney cut it to 64-62 with 8:00 left and a Richardson layup made it 66-64 with 7:34 to go. NJCU got within one (69-68) with 6:14 to go.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: 171st known meeting since the early 1930s. Montclair leads all-time, 95-76.
• NJCU scored the most points at home in a victory since a 112-82 win over Rutgers-Camden on January 11, 2006.
• Sam Toney (Plainfield, NJ/Williamstown) scored at least 20 points in a game for the 21st time in his career, the 18th time in his last 36 games, his second game in a row and fourth time this season.
• Toney scored in double figures for the 50th time in 65 career games.
• Toney moved into 25th place in school history with 1,056 career points. He passed Hall-of-Famer Don Brandes on the all-time list. Brandes played from 1955-59 and his 1,047 points were the school record at that time; 60 years later he has been passed by 25 other players.
• Lavrone Green (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) scored in double figures for the 25th time in 36 games as a Gothic Knight and the fourth time this season.
• Yuri Brutus (Roselle, NJ/Roselle Park) scored in double figures for the fourth time this year and the 23rd time in his career.
• Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/(East Orange Campus) scored in double figures for the fifth time in nine games this year.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• On Saturday, December 8 NJCU is back at home when it hosts Rutgers-Newark at 5 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). It will be the 84th meeting. NJCU has won the last six meetings and leads the all-time series, 66-17.
• Prior to the game, NJCU will host its annual alumni weekend games and for the first time will divide the day into age-group contests. At 10:30 a.m. the Knights will host the Over-40 game and at 11:30 a.m. the Under-40 alumni game will be played. There will be an alumni reception at 1 p.m.

 
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