The men’s basketball team is now 0-2 to start the 2016-17 season.
Photo by Josue Dajes
It’s not the start to the season the Red Hawks wanted.
Montclair State’s men’s basketball team was defeated at home for the second consecutive game, losing to City College of New York (CCNY), 85-64, now dropping to 0-2 to start the season. The Red Hawks just lost a double-overtime heartbreak the night before against Brooklyn College, and were scheduled for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday against CCNY.
Montclair State got out to an early 9-2 lead during the first few minutes of the game. Then, the CCNY Beavers hit some threes and took the lead. They never looked back from that point.
The Red Hawks were searching for the right lineup. Head Coach Marlon Sears kept inserting new players, hoping to find the right combination that could spark the offense, but nothing worked. The Red Hawks trailed 41-27 at halftime.
The second half was much of the same. The Beavers grew their lead to 20. The Red Hawks made a small run with under 10 minutes left in the game. Brandon Channer knocked down a three pointer with four minutes left to bring the Red Hawks within 10. After a CCNY timeout, the Beavers regrouped and regained control of the game, eventually winning by 21.
Channer had only seven points after scoring 36 the night before. Junior guard Jovanni Chatham added 12 points. The Red Hawks struggled again from the free throw line: they were 9-for-24 after going 15-for-24 against Brooklyn College the night before.
Montclair State will play on Tuesday at Kean University for their first New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season. Kean also lost their first two games of the season and are 0-2 as well. The next Red Hawks home game will be on Wednesday, Nov. 30 against Ramapo College.
