Dec. 31, 2007

Box Score

ORLANDO, FL - Senior captain Kraig Peters scored a game-high 19 points and passed the 1,000-point career threshold, but NJIT lost to Texas-Pan American, 76-61, in the consolation game of the UCF Holiday Classic Monday afternoon at the University of Central Florida.

Peters, who entered the game with 982 career points, became the 22nd member of NJIT's 1,000-point club on his final tally of the game, a three-point basket with 5:44 remaining in the contest.

The senior was one of three double-figure scorers for the Highlanders, who got 13 points from sophomore center Dan Stonkus and 11 from freshman guard Justin Garris.

The 13 points for Stonkus, who made five of his six shots from the floor, were two shy of his career mark (15 vs. American on November 24 this season). The big man also blocked five shots, matching his career high, first done against Longwood last January 10.

Nesho Milosevic, who played just 21 minutes before fouling out, pulled down nine rebounds, leading NJIT to a 37-33 advantage on the boards. Peters grabbed six rebounds and Stonkus and freshman guard Tyler Epps each finished with five rebounds.

Texas-Pan Am, which will meet NJIT two more times in regularly scheduled games (January 26 at the Prudential Center and February 9 in Texas), had four double-figure scorers.

Senior point guard Paul Stoll led the Bronc scorers with 16 points and also played an impeccable floor game, setting up his opponents for seven assists against just two turnovers in 33 minutes. He also made a game-high four steals. He has 119 assists (7 per game) with only 52 turnovers this season.

Dexter Shankle and Emmanuel Jones each scored 14 points, while Zach Trader added 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds and Nathan Hawkins finished with 11 points.

Neither team found a scoring rhythm early and it was 7-7 when Stonkus made a layup 5:10 into the game.

Shankle made the first of his four three-pointers to break the tie 22 seconds later, sparking a brief 6-0 spurt that put the Broncs ahead to stay.

NJIT eventually fell behind by double digits and trailed by 12 after Hawkins converted a traditional three-point play for a 38-26 Texas-Pan Am lead with 1:17 left in the first half.

The Highlanders answered with five quick points on a three-pointer by Garris and a pair of free throws by Kyle Edwards, cutting the deficit to seven. But Shankle nailed a deflating three-point basket to beat the buzzer and push the Broncs lead back to 41-31 at the break.

The top scorers at halftime were NJIT's Peters with 11 and UTPA's Zach Trader with 10.

The Highlanders opened the second half, 5-3, closing back to within seven points, 43-36, on a Garris free throw with 15:52 left.

But Texas-Pan American dealt the coup de grace with a 13-0 outburst in less than three minutes. Senior Brian Burrell, who came in averaging 15 points per game, but managed just seven against NJIT, began the spurt with his only made three-pointer of the game at 15:38 and Stoll capped the run with a pair of free throws that lifted the Broncs to a 56-36 lead with 12:46 remaining.

NJIT made one last charge and closed the UTPA lead down to 60-48 with a workable 8:14 left. The Highlanders kept scoring for the next three minutes, but couldn't get the necessary defensive stops and the Broncs still led by 13 with 5:02 left, before an 8-2 spurt put them back up by 19 with 2:57 to play.

Free throw shooting and points-off-turnovers made a huge difference in the outcome. The Highlanders actually outscored Texas-Pan American at the foul line, 14-12, but the margin could have been wider. Texas-Pan Am shot 12-for-16, while NJIT was 14-for-25, including a miss on the front end of a one-and-one and two 0-for-2 trips.

The differential in overall turnovers wasn't huge--16 by NJIT to 10 for Texas-Pan Am, but the points off-turnovers were a decisive 24-4 in favor of the Broncs.

The Highlanders will fly from Orlando to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on New Year's Day and then take on Navy in Annapolis, MD, on Wednesday at 7 pm. In the first-ever meeting between the teams last January 2 in Newark, Navy was a 52-50 winner in overtime.