Box score
NEWARK, NJ—PJ Miller scored 12 points and added 5 assists for NJIT, as the Highlanders held off a spirited second-half upset bid by St. Joseph's of New York, 65-57, Saturday afternoon in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
St. Joseph's trailed by 36-19 at halftime, but shot a blistering 10-for-14 on second-half three-pointers and trailed by just four points, 61-57, heading into the final minute against NJIT. The Highlanders made all four of their foul shots in the final 47 seconds to secure the win.
For visiting St. Joseph's, senior Donald Coleman scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half, connecting on 4-of-7 three-pointers. Sophomore Thomas Karasinski added 13 points for the Bears. He shot 4-for-6 on three-pointers and made both of his long-range tries in the second half.
Miller was the only double-figure scorer for NJIT, which got a game-high 8 rebounds from senior guard Jheryl Wilson.
NJIT, which was averaging just over 10 turnovers a game coming in, was hurt by a season-worst 24 turnovers on Saturday. Despite 11 first-half miscues, NJIT still led at the break, 36-19, as St. Joseph's had just one point off of a turnover in the half and shot just 7-for-30 (23.3 percent). The Highlanders also shot well in first half, making 12-of-21 shots from the field (57.1 percent), including 5-for-12 on three-pointers.
Three of NJIT's first-half three-pointers came from junior Arjun Ohri, who scored all nine of his points in the opening period.
The second half was dramatically different, however, as the Bears turned 13 NJIT turnovers into 12 points and shot 13-for-23 overall (56.5 percent), including the 10-for-14 on threes. St. Joseph's was hurt in the second half by 12 turnovers of its own, plus 2-for-9 foul shooting by the Bears that included misses on the front ends of their first two one-and-one chances.
Meanwhile, NJIT's shooting accuracy cooled considerably in the second half, as the Highlanders made 10-of-23 attempts (43.5 percent), which combined with the 13 turnovers and deadly shooting on the other end by St. Joseph's, enabled the Bears to a 38-29 scoring advantage after the break.
The second half began without any surprises, as Chris Flores scored a layup to give NJIT a 38-19 lead after the first possession out of halftime.
Coleman made his first triple for St. Joseph's, but Dytanya Johnson sandwiched a dunk and one-for-two on a free throw opportunity around a three for Karasinski of the Bears, and the Highlanders held what looked like a comfortable 16-point lead, 41-25, with 16:48 on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, Ismael Dabo scored a layup for St. Joseph's at the 16:30 mark, triggering a 13-0 run for the Bears over the next 2:06 that included made three pointers on three straight possessions—two for Coleman and one for Karasinski. Coleman's second triple in the run closed the score to 41-38 at 14:24.
With the NJIT lead trimmed to three, Wilson, the team's only senior, stepped up for a conventional three-point play at 13:19 and then a layup at 12:38, putting the Highlanders up, 46-38.
The teams traded three-point baskets before an ugly sequence that saw turnovers on six straight possessions—three by each team—midway through the half.
The Highlanders eventually stretched their lead back to 12 points, 57-45, with 5:58 left. But the pesky Bears stayed close by making 4-of-6 three-point tries the rest of the way.
The final three-pointer of the day for St. Joseph's came from freshman guard Johnny Mendez with 1:01 remaining, before the Highlanders got a pair of free throws from Will Bond with 47 seconds left and two more from Wilson with 31 ticks on the clock to finish off the victory.
NJIT will play its next three games away from home, beginning with a game at Lafayette on Wednesday at 7 pm in Easton, PA. Live audio play-by-play, with the action described by Matt Provence, will be offered free on njithighlanders.com, with the web cast slated to begin approximately five minutes prior to tip.
