Box Score

Camden, NJ (1/30/10) – Sophomore guard Ali Mix (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) hit a three-point field goal with 2:23 remaining in overtime, lifting Montclair State University to the final lead change of the night and the Red Hawks hung on to outlast Rutgers University-Camden, 72-69, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The victory snapped Montclair State’s seven-game losing streak and helped the Red Hawks even their record at 10-10. They are 3-6 in NJAC play.

Rutgers-Camden, which has lost its last eight games against Montclair State and trails 41-8 in the all-time series, falls to 5-13 overall with its fourth straight loss. The Scarlet Raptors are 0-9 in the NJAC.

Coming into overtime locked in a 57-57 deadlock, the Scarlet Raptors took the first lead in overtime on a three-pointer by senior guard Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township). The Red Hawks fought back to tie the game at 60-60 on three points from junior center Sean Young (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood). After the Raptors took their last lead of the night on a foul shot by senior guard/forward Chris Clahar (Philadelphia, PA/Robert Lamberton), Mix put the Red Hawks ahead to stay at 63-61.

The lead was never more than four points the rest of the way, and the Raptors narrowed it to a one-point game twice (63-62 and 70-69). The Red Hawks closed out the game with a pair of foul shots by Young with five seconds remaining and the Raptors’ last-gasp three-pointer was off the mark.

The game was a tight contest most of the way, with the two teams deadlocked at 28-28 at halftime and 57-57 at the end of regulation. Rutgers-Camden held a five-point lead (37-32) early in the second half before Montclair State roared back to take a 51-41 advantage with 8:33 remaining. The Scarlet Raptors whittled down the margin and finally tied the game with 13 seconds remaining in regulation on a pair of foul shots by Askew. Montclair State missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

Young finished with a game-high 21 points for the Red Hawks, including 17 after halftime. Mix scored 16 and junior guard Rodney Freeney (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) added 13 for Montclair State. Senior forward Daniel McRae (Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) had a game-high 16 rebounds for the Red Hawks.

Askew, who was playing in his 90th career game to become only the 11th player in Rutgers-Camden program history to reach that milestone, finished with 17 points and five steals. Junior guard Shawn Greene (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) had 16 points for the Raptors, while junior forward Kevin Brown (Port Norris, NJ/Millville) notched 13.
Brown also completed a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds, helping the Raptors hold a 51-50 edge off the boards.

Montclair State shot 22-for-60 (37.6 percent) from the field, while Rutgers-Camden was 21-for-66 (31.8). Both teams were cold from the foul line, with the Raptors shooting 17-for-30 (56.7) and the Red Hawks only 21-for-45 (46.7).

Montclair State University plays another NJAC contest Wednesday, hosting Rutgers-Newark at 8 p.m.