Box score
EASTON, PA—Lafayette's all-league senior center Jared Mintz scored a career-high 28 points in the third-straight win for the Leopards, 72-56, over visiting NJIT in non-conference men's basketball Wednesday night in the Kirby Sports Center.
Mintz, virtually unstoppable when he caught the ball around the basket, shot 11-for-16 from the field overall, including 8-for-10 in the second half, when he scored 20 of his points. His previous career scoring high was 26 points against Delaware last December and his previous high this season was 22, also against Delaware in late November.
A first-team all-Patriot League honoree last season, the 6-foot-8 senior from Toronto, Canada, has scored in double-figures every game this season and his effort against NJIT marked his third game in 2010-11 with at least 21 points.
The other double-figure scorers for the Leopards, whose record stands at 4-6 after a 1-6 start, were senior forward Darion Benbow and sophomore guard Tony Johnson, with 10 points apiece. Benbow, who made all five of his shots, scored eight points in the second half. Johnson got his points coming off of the bench.
Outstanding ball movement has long been Lafayette's calling card under 16th-year head coach Fran O'Hanlon and Wednesday night was no exception. The Leopards earned assists on 22 of their 26 baskets, led by Rob Delaney (6 assists without a turnover) and Ben Wheeler (5 assists).
Lafayette, which outrebounded NJIT, 32-28, had a team effort on the boards. Johnson led the way with 5 rebounds, but five different Leopards accounted for four rebounds apiece.
NJIT's leader was senior Jheryl Wilson, who paced the Highlanders in both points (21) and rebounds (game-high 9). Wilson made six three-pointers, tying the school Division I record, done twice before (Kraig Peters vs. Longwood on February 18, 2008; Chris Flores vs. North Dakota on February 23, 2010).
Flores, the sophomore guard, added 10 points Wednesday for the 2-5 Highlanders. Flores, who also had 3 assists and 3 steals, was unfortunate not to score more, as at least two of his five missed three-point tries were on target, but rimmed out after going part way down.
While Lafayette's Mintz would be the dominant force on the night, he was not a factor early, scoring just two points in the opening 17:15. However, he scored his team's last six points of the first half, a harbinger of what was to come after the halftime break.
Indeed, Mintz accounted for 13 of Lafayette's first 18 second-half points and 15 of the first 23, covering the opening 10:53 of the half.
The second-half production by Mintz proved especially frustrating to NJIT, which trailed at halftime, 35-26. The Highlanders scored with regularity to begin the second half, but couldn't get any closer than six points.
The last time was at 10:32, when Wilson made the second of two free throws, trimming Lafayette's lead to 53-47. Mintz had provided 13 of Lafayette's 18 second-half points to that moment in the face of 21 Highlander points.
That six-point deficit would be as close as NJIT got, however, as the Highlanders managed just 10 points the rest of the game and just two from the Wilson free throw at 10:32 to a bucket by Ryan Regis at 3:30. By then, the Leopards had expanded their lead to a game-best 20 points, 69-49, following a short jump shot for Benbow with 4:23 on the clock.
Lafayette, which never trailed, did its early scoring from outside the three-point line, scoring its first five baskets from distance and connecting on five of its first six three-point tries in the opening 7:32.
However, the Leopards did not make another three-pointer for the rest of the half and made just one for the the rest of the game. They were actually outgunned from long range by the Highlanders in the opening half, as NJIT connected on six three-pointers, three by Wilson, two by Flores, and one by Arjun Ohri, who made what would be his only shot of the game. Ohri, the junior transfer has now shot 8-for-16 on threes in his first seven games for NJIT.
Although NJIT made six three-pointers in the first half, it did not shoot well overall, making just 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) overall, meaning the Highlanders were 2-for-14 on shots inside the arc.
Lafayette, meanwhile, made 48 percent of its shots from field (12-25). The Leopards, a superb foul shooting team (133-163; 82 percent coming in) were 6-for-8 at the line in the first half and 14-18 (78 percent) for the game.
NJIT improved its shooting to 11-for-22 from the field in the second half. But with Mintz all but automatic in the post and Benbow making all four of his shots after the intermission, Lafayette far outpaced the Highlanders in shooting accuracy, making 14-of-23 tries (.609) from the floor.
With final exams upcoming, the Highlanders will take a break from competition, returning on Sunday, December 19 with a 7:30 pm game against Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark.
