November 18, 2005

WEST CHESTER, PA - Trailing by 12 with 2:19 left in regulation, New Jersey Institute of Technology rallied to tie the score at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime, where the Highlanders defeated St. Michael's of Vermont, 79-75.

The action took place in the first round of the West Chester University Alumni Association Tournament, opening the 2005-06 men's basketball season. The comeback win by NJIT lifts the Highlanders into Saturday's 4 pm championship game, where they will take on host West Chester, which defeated Saint Leo of Florida, 74-69, in Friday night's other first round game.

Junior stars Marc Milbourne Swan and Clayton Barker delivered on their advance notices in the opener for NJIT. Milbourne Swan finished with game-high totals of 22 points and 15 rebounds, while making all eight of his shots from the field. Barker finished with 20 points, including six in the late rally that forced overtime.

St. Michael's had three double-figure scorers, led by junior guard Ryan Maloney's 14 points. Brian Monahan and Brendan Mullins chipped in 13 points apiece for the Purple Knights.

The win also marked a career milestone for NJIT coach Jim Casciano, who recorded his 250th college head coaching victory, including 200 wins at four-year colleges. He has 54 wins at NJIT and 88 of the wins came in a six-year run at St. Michael's from 1983 to 1989.

Trailing, 67-55, with 2:19 left in the second half, NJIT outscored St. Michael's, 16-4, down the stretch to force the overtime.

The details of the comeback would have been impossible to predict. Aside from the rarity of closing a 12-point gap in 2:19, consider these facts--through the first 37:41, the Highlanders connected on just three three-pointers. In the 16-4 rally that forced overtime, they made three three-pointers and then added another in overtime.

Milbourne Swan, despite being game-high scorer, fouled out with 30 seconds left in regulation and NJIT trailing by four, so he was not around for the tying basket or the successful overtime. Indeed, the Highlanders ended the game with all three of their freshmen on the floor.

St. Michael's, which missed 14 free throws overall, had eight of the misses in the last 3:51 of regulation, helping the NJIT rally along. Then, in overtime, the Purple Knights regained their touch at the line, making all four tries, but they were empty from the field, shooting 0-for-7 in the extra session.

Despite the rally, NJIT never led in the second half and only tied on freshman Alex Stone's short baseline shot at the buzzer. His tying basket came on the third shot of the Highlanders' possession, as Barker and Michael Manning each missed three-point tries before Stone collected the rebounds and made the tying basket while falling away on the baseline.

The comeback began after St. Michael's which led by at least seven through the first 18-plus minutes of the second half, took a 67-55 lead on Chris Cayole's layup with 2:19 left.

Manning hit a three-pointer for NJIT with 1:50 left, before St. Michael's missed two foul shots and Courcy Magnus hit a three on the next Highlander possession, cutting the deficit to 67-61.

After another empty trip by St. Michael's, Barker's three-pointer made it 67-64, with 47 seconds left.

Monahan made the second of two free throws with 30 seconds left, breaking a streak of seven straight misses at the line by his team.

Barker then used his quickness to dart through the Knights defense, driving for a layup, drawing a foul and completing the three-point play and closing the gap to 68-67, with 24 seconds left.

St. Michael's made three of four throws from that point, while NJIT got a basket, setting the stage for Stone's tying bucket, which would account for his only points of the game.

The Purple Knights took the first lead of overtime on a pair of Monahan free throws, but the Highlanders tied it on Manning's tip-in with 3:41 left and NJIT went ahead for good, 76-73, on a three-pointer by Magnus with 2:44 left.