Galloway, N.J. – Stockton University (17-9) got off to a great start and led for the entire game on the way to a 91-77 victory over Montclair State (18-9) that propelled the Ospreys into the NJAC championship for the fifth straight year. The win was Stockton's 11th in a row over the Red Hawks.
 
Five Ospreys scored in double figures for the balanced offense, led by Tayvon Gaither (Mt. Laurel/Lenape) with a team-high 21 points plus a career-high seven assists. Jalen Collins (Blackwood/Triton) shot a perfect 9-9 from the field and scored 19 points.
 
Rynell Lawrence (Millville/Millville) contributed a season-high 15 points followed by EJ Matthews-Spratley (Cherry Hill/CH East) with 14 markers and DJ Campbell (Vineland/Vineland) with 13.
 
Stockton began the game by pounding the ball inside, with seven points by Gaither and four from Collins plus two layups by Jamar Johnson (Penns Grove/Penns Grove) helping build a 21-9 lead. The Ospreys continued to dominate, extending the margin all the way to 19 points at 35-16.
 
Montclair closed the gap to seven late in the half, but Stockton responded with the last seven points for a 46-32 advantage at the break. The Ospreys shot a blistering 64.3% (18-28) from the floor and scored 28 points in the paint. Collins and Gaither led the way with 15 and 12 points respectively.
 
Stockton maintained a double-digit lead for the opening seven minutes of the second half. The Red Hawks got within 59-51 before two free throws by Lawrence and baskets by Gaither and Matthews-Spratley made it 65-51.
 
Montclair sliced Stockton's lead down to six with 7:56 on the clock, but Lawrence netted six points during an 11-5 spurt that increased the advantage to 76-64 with 5:37 to play. The Ospreys stayed in front by at least seven the rest of the way, helped by strong free throw shooting.
 
Overall, Stockton went 17-20 (85%) at the stripe in the second half to protect the lead and win 91-77. Johnson gave the Ospreys a huge lift off the bench, playing 17 minutes in the second half and finishing with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and zero turnovers in a season-high 29:23 for the game.
 
Keyon Price paced the Red Hawks with a game-high 28 points followed by Kunga Tsering with 15 markers and Mike Jackson with 13 points.
 
In its fifth consecutive NJAC championship appearance, No. 2 seed Stockton will host No. 4 seed The College of New Jersey on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Stockton is seeking its 11th NJAC title in school history and first since 2022. The teams split two regular season matchups, with each squad winning on the other's home court.