MONTCLAIR, NJ – On Dec. 3, the William Paterson Pioneers traveled to Montclair State University in an attempt to break their two-game losing streak. However, the Red Hawks were successfully able to remain undefeated, blowing the Pioneers out 102-75 and improving their record to 6-0.
The first half saw the Red Hawks immediately get off to a hot start, leading the game 15-4 just four minutes in. William Paterson attempted to come back, cutting the lead to just five points, though Montclair State pulled away in the latter part of the first half with a 10-0 run. Perimeter shooting was key for the Red Hawks in the first half, as they allowed one three-pointer and hit seven from deep. At the end of the first half, the Red Hawks were leading the Pioneers 55-37.
The Montclair State men's basketball team rejoices during its sixth consecutive win to start the season. Owen Klasey | The Montclarion
The same was expected in the second half, but the Pioneers kept up for the start of the period and even briefly outscored the Red Hawks.
However, Montclair State then forced William Paterson to take bad shots from the perimeter, with the Pioneers shooting 0-5 from three in the second half. The Red Hawks countered that by hitting seven threes of their own. The final score of the game saw the Red Hawks defeat the Pioneers 102-75.
Senior forward Jacob Morales had another great performance, scoring 29 points on just 18 shots while also filling up the stat sheet. Morales hit six threes, had seven rebounds and six assists. He also had a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball, racking up two blocks and four steals.
With that said, Morales was not the only player on fire as the entire team delivered. Reigning NJAC Defensive Player of the Week Myles Primas had two blocks and a steal in the game and also threw down two ferocious dunks. Sophomore guard Kabrien Goss, the current NJAC assists leader, tied his career high in assists with nine, and was once again second on the team in points with 16. Goss was also key in preventing the Pioneers from finding open threes and had three steals.
Kabrien Goss once again stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 16 points and adding nine assists in the win over William Paterson. Owen Klasey | The Montclarion
Freshman sensation Cristian Nicholson was coming off an NJAC Rookie of the Week recognition and started the new week hot against William Paterson. Nicholson recorded a career-high 13 points and three threes, while making a huge defensive impact with two steals, shutting down the perimeter.
Nicholson, who’s currently second in the NJAC in assists with 31, had four against the Pioneers as he has continued to find open teammates.
“Starting in September, you know, practicing every day together, we’ve been playing a lot, we just build chemistry,” Nicholson said after the game. “I just know, everyone knows where each other is at on the floor and it’s just easy to play within the flow of the game where you know where your guys are at.”
"Everyone knows where each other is at on the floor," said freshman guard Cristian Nicholson. "It’s just easy to play within the flow of the game where you know where your guys are at.” Owen Klasey | The Montclarion
Freshman Kevin Beck had his first breakout performance of the season, scoring a career-high 13 points and shooting an extremely efficient 6-for-7. After the game, head coach Justin Potts spoke about Beck’s impact.
“He’s in five days a week in the morning, getting shots up… he’s already learned how to work as a freshman,” said Coach Potts. “He plays hard, he puts himself in the right spots. He shoots it at a high level.”
Although the Red Hawks’ sixth consecutive win was impressive, the standard is set high.
“I think that game was a big confidence booster for us… I think our main worry for the season has been to dominate teams; we’re not satisfied with just beating teams. So even that win, we’re not satisfied with that, we want to dominate teams every night,” said Beck.
The Red Hawks are now 6-0 on the season and lead the NJAC by a wide margin, but are still taking it one game at a time despite being one of the best Division III teams in the country. Montclair State will carry its unbeaten record into December after taking down the local Pioneers in the conference opener.
