In a competitive first half, the lead changed 10 times and there were six ties as the two schools each made at least half their shots. Montclair hit 11-of-20 and shot .550 in the first half and drilled a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and 8-of-9 from the line. NJCU converted 13-of-26 from the field for a 50 percent rate, and made 4-of-7 from three-point range (.571) and all six free throws.
Freeney hit a pair of early threes to give MSU a 7-6 lead and Bonard hit two triples, helping MSU take a 15-11 cushion. A layup by Livingston tied it at 15-15 before Freeney hit another three. A jumper by Wilson made it 18-17 before Freeney was fouled from three-point territory and hit all three free throws for a 21-17 edge.
Montclair's first 21 points all came in multiple of threes—five three-pointers, a jumper and foul shot for a three-point play, and Freeney's three foul shots.
MSU junior guard Nick Tennant (Atlantic Highlands, NJ/Henry Hudson) scored seven points off the bench and gave the visitors their largest lead of the game with a layup at 8:45, for a 23-17 advantage.
A 9-0 run allowed the Knights to reclaim the lead. Two foul shots by Albright (8:34) and a jumper by rookie guard MICHAEL JOHNSON (Newark, NJ/Irvington) made it 23-21 before Livingston grabbed a defensive rebound and fed Johnson for a game-tying fast-break basket at 7:10. With 5:33 remaining in the half, Albright drilled a three for a 26-23 lead.
MSU counted with a 10-2 run for a 33-28 lead. Freeney and Tennant sank jumpers at 5:17 and 4:31. After Williams sank foul shots to put NJCU ahead, 28-27, Tennant hit a pair from the line and August hit his only shot of the game at 3:45 for a 31-28 edge. Prewitt scored a layup at 2:50 for a 33-28 margin.
The Knights responded with an 8-2 spurt to end the period. Robinson drilled a triple at 2:10 and Barrino buried another three at 1:28 as NJCU moved ahead 34-33. A layup by Williams made it 36-33 before MSU made two foul shots in the final seconds of the half.
Freeney would hit another three 47 seconds into the second half giving MSU a 39-38 lead; it would prove to be the Red Hawks' final lead of the night.
Barrino scored NJCU's first seven points of the second half, including a three, and a fast-break bucket off a Williams steal for a 43-39 edge. Robinson drilled a triple at 16:47 for a 46-41 cushion. Barrino sank two from the line at 1:48 for a 48-43 lead.
MSU would keep it close, aided by Miller. His layup at 13:36 made it 49-47 and he hit two from the line at 11:08 to keep the deficit at two. He later made three more foul shots, including a pair at 9:16 that trimmed NJCU's lead to one, 53-52.
But from there, NJCU began to pull away. A baseline dunk by Abdullah off a feed from Livingston at 9:07 started a 7-1 streak, and a layup by Albright at 7:29 and two Wilson foul shots (6:43) extended NJCU's advantage to seven, 60-53.
In a second half where both teams struggled from the field as defensive efforts improved and nerves increased, MSU shot 30.3 percent but committed nine turnovers. NJCU made 7-of-29 in the period (.241), but sank 20-of-31 from the line, making foul shots when it needed to, while preventing turnovers.
“Obviously turnovers change possessions and that kills you in games like this,” Brown said about his club's tremendous ball control in the second half. “We took care of the ball in the second half and at the end, we hit our free throws like we've been doing all year.”
After Albright's layup at 7:29, neither team scored a field goal for a span of 3:38, until a layup by Miller cut the Gothic Knight lead to three, 61-58. And NJCU did not hit another field goal the remainder of the game.
But the Knights were solid from the line, drawing fouls and converting their opportunities from the stripe—making 11-of-14 chances in the final 1:44 to seal the win. NJCU didn't score for a stretch of 4:35 until Abdullah sank two foul shots for a 63-58 lead and after Wilson stole the ball from Miller—one of four late turnovers MSU was forced to commit—Williams buried two at the line with 1:06 left for a seven-point, 65-58 cushion.
Freeney made a jumper with 1:01 left. Wilson made one from the line for a 66-60 lead with 49 seconds to go. Montclair still had a chance, but Livingston stole another ball with 38 seconds left, Abdullah was fouled, and when he drained both shots with 35.1 to go, the energy in the arena hit a high, as the Gothic Knights fans began sensing the championship was going to happen.
After an MSU basket, Williams sank two more from the line, and he and Livingston each made a foul shot in the final 15 seconds to again extend the lead to eight. MSU hit a meaningless three at the buzzer, before the overflow crowd rushed the court to celebrate the 12th conference championship in program history.
“This is unbelievable,” a jubilant Brown said. “The funniest part is I told people it would probably take four years to win a championship. That's what I always thought. It takes one year to get your feet wet, a second year to get your coaching staff set, and by the third and fourth years, I was able to get the players and recruit those guys I really wanted. That's what happened and it's an unbelievable feeling.”
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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|
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NJCU
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MONTCLAIR
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Score
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72
|
67
|
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Half-Time Score
|
36
|
35
|
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Field Goal Percentage
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.364 (20-55)
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.396 (21-53)
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|
Three-Point Percentage
|
.500 (6-12)
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.396 (21-53)
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|
Free Throw Percentage
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.703 (26-37)
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.438 (7-16)
|
|
Rebounds (O-D-T)
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14-23-37
|
.667 (18-27)
|
|
Assists
|
13
|
10
|
|
Turnovers
|
9
|
18
|
|
Blocks
|
7
|
4
|
|
Steals
|
9
|
2
|
|
Fouls
|
22
|
27
|
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Largest Lead
|
8
|
6
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
22
|
14
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
23
|
17
|
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Second Change Points
|
11
|
10
|
|
Fast Break Points
|
6
|
3
|
|
Bench Points
|
28
|
20
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