Montclair (4-6 overall) scored the first nine points of the game and led, 23-7, midway through the opening half in winning its second consecutive contest. Gluck tallied 13 of his 23 points in the opening 20 minutes of play, including three three-point field goals, and hit five times from long range on the night. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Hawks was junior guard Rashad Butler (Nassau, Bahamas), who contributed 10 points, while classmate Gian Paul Gonzalez (North Haledon, NJ) had a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Henderson Jackman (Brooklyn, NY) paced the opposing Cougars (2-7) with 16 points and three assists, while freshman Jonathan Culpepper (Brooklyn, NY) posted 12 points and fellow rookie Kenneth Griffin (Brooklyn, NY) had a team-best 11 rebounds. MSU led, 44-20, at halftime and then used a 10-0 run to start the second half en route to leading by as much as 43 points.
Six players scored in double figures for each team in the opening game between Westminster (9-2) and Bethany Lutheran (0-8), a contest that saw six ties and six lead changes. Bethany Lutheran forged a 103-103 deadlock with just over seven minutes remaining, and the teams traded baskets for the next two minutes before the victorious Titans took the lead for good, 112-110, with just over five minutes left. Junior guard Mark DeMonaco (New Castle, PA) paced Westminster with 24 points and 10 assists while going 6-of-12 from three-point range, while classmate Dom Joseph (New Castle, PA) had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Titans, who recorded 21 three-point field goals and topped the 100-point mark for the eighth time this season. Sophomore guard Robert Smaller III (St. Paul, MN) led the opposing Vikings with 23 points and a game-high 15 assists, while freshman guard Travis Priem (Janesville, MN) registered 22 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Ross Libby (Mankato, MN) added 21 points as Bethany Lutheran broke the century mark for the inaugural time this winter.
Bethany Lutheran will face Medgar Evers in the consolation game tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. before Montclair plays Westminster for the tournament title immediately afterwards.