Nov. 14, 2007

Box Score

SEATTLE, WA - High Point defeated NJIT, 76-53, in the consolation game of the 2007 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off West Regional men's basketball tournament Wednesday at the Bank of America Arena on the campus of the University of Washington.

Host Washington was set to play Utah in Wednesday's second game, with the winner advancing to the tournament semifinals set for Madison Square Garden on November 21.

The Highlanders, who had faced Washington in the opening round Tuesday night, were spared having to face another perennial national power, but High Point was a formidable opponent, nonetheless.

High Point, 22-10 last season, is the preseason favorite to win the championship of the Big South Conference, led by the consensus preseason Big South Player of the Year, senior forward Arizona Reid.

Reid, who scored 26 points in the Panthers' season-opening loss to Charlotte and then 19 in the NIT-opening loss to Utah, dominated his team's win against NJIT, scoring a game-high 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 at the foul line. He also got eight rebounds.

Sophomore guard Eugene Harris added 21 points, shooting 4-for-5 on three-point attempts and senior Mike Jefferson netted 11 points from the other guard spot for High Point. Cruz Daniels, an agile 6-foot-11 sophomore led High Point's rebounders with a game-best 11.

NJIT got 13 points apiece from senior captain Kraig Peters and junior forward Nesho Milsoevic. Both men did most of their damage in NJIT's solid second half, as Milosevic scored nine points in the second half and Peters knocked down eight points.

Dan Stonkus led the Highlanders on the boards with eight, while Milosevic grabbed seven rebounds in the game--six in the second half.

NJIT trailed at half, 34-16, continuing its early offensive struggles from the previous two games. The Highlanders made just 7-of-24 shots (29 percent) from the field and a frustrating 1-for-6 at the foul line to go with 11 first-half turnovers.

In the second half, the Highlanders continued to struggle at the foul line. However, they connected for 14 second-half field goals, including four from three-point distance.

They also stepped up their defense, forcing two shot-clock violations in the second half and holding High Point to 1-for-4 three-point shooting over the final 20 minutes. Some of NJIT's defensive effort was foiled by the virtually unstoppable Reid, who made all but one of his six shots from the field and shot 6-for-7 at the foul line for 18 second-half points.

After being outscored by 18 points in the first half, NJIT came much closer in the second half, trailing a strong team, 42-37, after the break.

One of the more encouraging aspects of the second half was the re-emergence of Peters and Milosevic as offensive weapons. The team's top two returning scorers, they had combined to average 19.3 points per game last season.

In the opening loss to Manhattan, they combined for 12 points and they managed eight against Washington. Wednesday's first half was marginally better, as they collected a combined nine first-half points.

Wednesday's second half represented a breakout, as Peters and Milosevic combined to score 17 points, which is more in tune with what NJIT will need to win its upcoming games.

NJIT did relatively well rebounding, getting beaten off the boards, 35-31 overall, including 15-15 in the second half. The turnovers were a virtual standstill in the second half, as well, as NJIT had 10 miscues to nine for High Point.

The Highlanders have had an especially challenging first five days to the season. First, they were beaten in their home opener last Saturday against Manhattan.

On Sunday, they learned that their veteran head coach Jim Casciano was taking a leave of absence for personal health reasons. On Monday, they flew nearly 2,400 miles to Seattle.

On Tuesday, they faced Washington, one of the nation's elite programs, and then they faced a conference championship-caliber mid-major opponent in High Point on Wednesday.

All of that took place with a squad that had as many as four freshmen on the floor for significant stretches on Wednesday, plus only two players with more than two full seasons of experience at the four-year college level.

The Highlanders will have nearly a week to catch their collective breath, with no games scheduleD until Tuesday, November 20 at 7 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Tuesday's foe is another strong mid-major opponent, Vermont, the defending America East regular season champion and a program that won 25 games in 2006-07.