Montclair, NJ – Junior guard DJ Campbell scored 19 points leading four players in double figures as Stockton used a second-half surge for a 90-78 victory over Montclair State at the Panzer Athletic Center on Monday.
Junior guard Rynell Lawrence added 17 points and six rebounds for the Ospreys (16-3, 11-2 NJAC), who extended their winning streak to five while keeping its hold on first place in the NJAC standings.
Freshman Mike Jackson led the Red Hawks (10-7, 7-6 NJAC) with 19 points as MSU had its three-game winning streak snapped.
A tightly-contested battle in the first 20 minutes, each team remained within striking distance. MSU led early 7-2, with Ospreys eventually swinging the momentum five points to their advantage as Milo De Los Santos drilled a three for a 26-21 lead. Montclair tied that up at 26-26 as Greg Eck hit a three of his own with 8:12 left in the first half. The back-and-forth continued with MSU grabbing a 36-31 advantage after Keyon Pryce hit a free throw with two minutes to go. But Stockton counter with six straight, four by Kadian Dawkins and ed 37-36 with 38 seconds. Pryce was fouled at the buzzer and made both attempts at the line sending Montclair into the locker room with a 38-37 lead.
In the second half, Stockton would find its shooting touch, connecting on 56 percent (18-of-32) from the floor while also hitting 13-of-15 at the line.
Tied at 46-46 with 17 minutes remaining, Stockton went on an 8-0 run, building a 54-46 lead as Campbell finished off a De Los Santos pass for a layup. Montclair State answered that with six in a row capped by a Devin Cooper driving layup making the score 54-52 with 12:27 left. The Ospreys pulled away with a 13-2 spurt over the next three minutes making 6-of-7 from the floor. Lawrence had four with Campbell netting the last two for a 67-54 advantage.
MSU would get back to 70-62 on a Cooper three-pointer two minutes later, however Alan Glover drained three free throws with 6:25 left restoring the lead to a double-digit lead the Ospreys would maintain the rest of the way.
Dawkins and Kyion Flanders each had 15 points for the Ospreys. Dawkins added six rebounds and nine assists with Flanders pulling down a team-best nine boards.
Pryce had four points and six assists for Montclair State. Irving Callender IV added 13 points and eight rebounds with Cooper recording 11 points and four assists.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Wednesday, February 2 in Wayne, NJ. Montclair will look to even its season series with local rival William Paterson as the two square off at 8:00 pm in the WPU Rec Center. The Pioneers won the first meeting 84-74 in Montclair on December 8.