March 3, 2007

Box Score

BROOKINGS, SD - Freshman forward Kai Williams scored a game-high 20 points, including a free throw midway through the second half that put his team ahead for good, leading South Dakota State over New Jersey Institute of Technology, 71-61, in the men's basketball season finale for both teams Saturday night.

Williams, who also led the Jackrabbits on the boards with 7 rebounds, was backed up by sophomore Matt Cadwell's 14 points in a game whose outcome was in doubt until the closing minutes.

NJIT, which split the season series with South Dakota State (the Highlanders won the first meeting, 67-62, on February 8 in Newark) got 12 points from Kraig Peters and 11 apiece from Nesho Milosevic and Marc Milbourne Swan, who played the final game in a stellar career.

Milosevic barely missed out on a double-double, combining a game-high 9 rebounds with his 11 points. As it was, Milosevic had seven double-figure rebound games and finished as the team's leading rebounder for the season, with 202 rebounds in 29 games for an average of 7 rebounds per game.

The Highlanders, who trailed by 11 points as late as the 4:21 mark of the first half, outscored the home team, 13-5, until the break, closing the score to 36-33 after 20 minutes of play. The game-high scorers at halftime, with nine points each, were Williams, the South Dakota State freshman, and Milbourne Swan, the NJIT senior.

The game stayed tight well into the second half, with neither team able to take a lead bigger than three points until the Jackrabbits went up, 47-42, on a Williams jump shot with 12:08 remaining.

NJIT answered and took what would be its final lead of the contest when first Courcy Magnus and then Peters hit three-pointers, putting the Highlanders on top, 48-47, after Peters' three with 10:04 left.

On the next possession, Williams was fouled in the act of shooting and his free throws tied the score and then put the Jacks ahead for good, 49-48, with 9:44 left.

Although the Highlanders would not regain the lead, the score stayed close for a long time, as both teams did all their scoring from the foul line between a Milosevic bucket for NJIT at 8:17 and one for Williams at the 3:15 mark.

NJIT's Dan Stonkus had made two free throws at 3:25, closing the score to 60-57. Ten seconds later, Williams scored to begin what became an 11-4 finish for South Dakota State.

Two crucial baskets in the spurt came on back-to-back driving layups by South Dakota State's only senior starter, guard Jose Frias, who made three baskets in the game overall, but got the two big ones at 2:46 and 2:10 to help finish off his team's win.

For NJIT, Milbourne Swan scored 11 points on Saturday, raising his final career total to 1,202, lifting him past Sal Gagliardo (Class of 1985; 1,192 points) for 12th on the NJIT career list.

The Highlander senior also made five of his seven shots from the field, leaving his season field goal percentage to .603 (73-121). As a result, he shot at least 60 percent from the field in all four of his seasons. His career field goal percentage of .639 (433-678) is second all-time at NJIT. He also ranks among the career leaders in field goals made, three throws made, free throws attempted and games played.

NJIT's other senior co-captain, Clayton Barker, did not play not play for a sixth consecutive game. After scoring a season-high 27 points in the home win over South Dakota State on February 8, he sustained a knee injury three minutes into the next game, against North Dakota State on February 10 and did not play again.

Barker wound up his career ranked sixth on the all-time school scoring list, with 1,617 points. He ranks in the career top seven in nine other categories--field goals (fourth); field goal attempts (second); three-point field goals (third); three-point field goal attempts (second); free throws (fourth); free throw attempts (third); free throw percentage (seventh); assists (third); and, steals (second).