Feb. 8, 2007

Box Score

NEWARK, NJ - Senior guard Clayton Barker produced the best individual scoring game of the season for New Jersey Institute of Technology, pouring in a game-high 27 points to pace the Highlanders' 67-62 win over visiting South Dakota State in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Barker, the sixth-leading scorer in school history, topped the 1,600-point mark for his career with Thursday's output, which saw him lead all scorers at halftime, with eight points, before netting 19 second-half points. The previous high for NJIT this season, its first competing at the Division I level, was 22 for Barker against Maine on December 1.

Kraig Peters was the other double-figure scorer for NJIT, chipping in 11 points. He made three of six three-point shots in the game.

Freshman guard Andrew Engel tied his season high with a team-leading 6 rebounds, including one that helped seal the win with five seconds remaining.

As a team, the Highlanders committed just 8 turnovers--one in the second half--and the starting backcourt of Barker and Engel had only one miscue in 65 combined minutes. Barker had a game-high four assists for the Highlanders.

Sophomore guard Matt Cadwell led South Dakota State with 22 points--20 of which came in the second half. Cadwell made five three-point baskets and also made three free throws after he was fouled on another three-point try.

Junior Michael Loney chipped in 11 points and freshman Kai Williams contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the Jackrabbits, who have lost three in a row and eight of their last nine.

NJIT, which led at halftime, 27-25, built a 13-point lead, 46-33, on a Nesho Milosevic layup with 12:04 left in the game. However, South Dakota State fought back and trailed by just two, 64-62, after Cadwell's three-pointer with 23 seconds remaining.

NJIT added another point when Engel made the first of two free throws with 19 seconds left. When Engel missed the second foul shot, Cadwell got the rebound and the visitors advanced the ball upcourt.

Cadwell's three-point try from the left corner was off the mark and Engel grabbed the rebound, was fouled immediately under the backboard and sealed the win with a pair of free throws at the five-second mark.

NJIT shot 16-for-20 on free throws, outscoring the visitors, 16-9 from the foul line. The Highlanders were 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) in the second half and 5-for-6 in the last 28 seconds.

While the road has been unkind to the Highlanders after they opened the Division I era with a 56-55 upset win at defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season champion Manhattan back on November 11, Thursday's win raised NJIT's record in the Fleisher Athletic Center to 3-5.

The Highlanders, who have won their last two home games (defeated Longwood on January 10), could easily have a winning home record with some breaks. Their last home game before the win over Longwood was a 52-50 overtime loss to Navy and they lost to Stony Brook by four points in regulation the home game before that.

The game against South Dakota State was the start of a stretch that sees NJIT playing five of six games at home. Next up is a 2 pm game on Saturday in the Fleisher Athletic Center against North Dakota State, a formidable team that is 14-7, including a December win at Marquette, which is ranked 11th in the latest Associated Press national poll.