Montclair, NJ – Senior guard Irving Callender IV finished with 21 points, none bigger than his two free throws with seven seconds remaining as Montclair State overcame Rowan for a 74-73 victory at the Panzer Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.
Callender added 11 rebounds for a double-double as the Red Hawks (7-5) came back from five points down in the final four minutes to record their second straight victory as it evened its NJAC record at 4-4.
Sophomore guard Andrew Seager recorded a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Profs (12-3, 5-3 NJAC), who dropped their second straight game following an eight-game winning streak.
Montclair State trailed by as many as eight points in the second half and was down 69-64 after Cooper drained a three-point with 3:45 to go. A three by Kieran Flanagan got MSU within 69-67 before Connor Dickerson sank two at the line making the score 71-67 with 2:19 remaining. Cooper answered that with two foul shots and then connected on a jumper with 1:26 to play, knotting the contest at 71-71.
After the Red Hawks missed a chance to go in front, Seager drove in for a layup with 44 ticks, giving Rowan a 73-71 advantage. Montclair's Steven Breeman made one foul shot with 24 seconds for a one-point Profs lead. Rowan squandered a chance to add to the lead as Seager misfired on a foul shot with 15 seconds to go. Callender grabbed the rebound and later drove to the basket, where he was fouled with seven seconds. He would hit both, putting the Red Hawks ahead 74-73.
Rowan inbounded the ball with Dickerson dribbling up the right side and to the baseline. He floated a shot from 10 feet at the buzzer, but the ball hit off the back rim and sent the Red Hawk bench and crowd into a frenzy.
Breeman finished with nine points, six rebounds, and four steals for MSU. In a reserve role, Greg Eck had eight points, with KeyonPryce and Francisco Paulino pulling down six and five rebounds, respectively.
MSU is back in action on Saturday, January 15, on the road in Jersey City, NJ. Montclair faces New Jersey City University at the John J. Moore Athletic Complex at 3:00 pm.