Box Score

PROVIDENCE, RI-- The NJIT men's basketball team erased a 10-point, second-half deficit and was one shot away from its first all-time victory against a BIG EAST team. But a missed 30-foot jumper by senior PJ Miller in the final seconds of the contest allowed Providence College to prevail, 64-63, in the 2012-13 season opener at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Miller's desperation heave came just inside the half-court line with :02 to go and sailed over the backboard with :00.1 left on the game clock.

The Highlanders had trailed 53-43 with 11:38 remaining in regulation before taking a 63-62 lead with 4:17 to go. The game was later knotted at 63-63 from 2:19 until the eventual game-winning free throw by junior Bryce Cotton at :05. The loss dropped the Highlanders (0-1) to 0-12 all-time against the BIG EAST while the Friars (1-0) improved to 2-0 all-time against the Great West Conference and extended their streak to 20 consecutive non-conference home wins.

“I'm really happy with the effort of our guys today. We showed resiliency and heart,” said Highlanders Head Coach Jim Engles, who was selected as GWC Preseason Coach of the Year by College Sports Madness. “We also had great individual efforts by Chris [Flores] and Ryan [Woods] that put us in position to win the game.”

The dramatic finish overshadowed the performance of senior Chris Flores, who tied his own NJIT Division I record by scoring a game-high 28 points – the final three of which came on the 21-foot jumper that gave the Highlanders their first lead since holding a 27-25 edge in the first half. Flores previously tallied 28 points at Houston Baptist on Feb. 17, 2011, to tie the initial record set just five days earlier by Jheryl Wilson '11 vs. South Dakota on Feb. 12, 2011.

In addition, senior Ryan Woods scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, connecting on six of nine shots to aid the comeback effort. He tied his Division I career-high with the 19 points, accomplished on two occasions last season. Miller finished with a game-high six assists.

Playing in his first NCAA game, freshman Terrence Smith added a game-high 10 rebounds. His contribution, along with those of junior transfer Quentin Bastian and freshmen Ky Howard and Nigel Sydnor, left Engles feeling very satisfied with the play of his first-year players.

“I thought the newcomers showed good poise and helped us stay competitive on the road against a BIG EAST program,” said Engles. “Smith showed his knack for being around the ball and grabbing tough rebounds. If he keeps progressing at this rate, he's going to become a very special player.”

Cotton's game-winning free throw came after he was fouled by Flores on a shot attempt from near the free-throw line with :05 to go. Although missing the second attempt, Cotton finished with 21 points while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomore LaDontae Henton posted a team-high 24 points in 40 minutes, as well – but scored just six points in the second half.

Cotton was pressed into point guard duties when senior Vincent Council – a Preseason All-BIG EAST First-Team selection -- left with an apparent hamstring injury just 4:42 into the contest. Council's absence left the Friars with just seven eligible players for the remainder of the game.

The Highlanders led for a majority of the first half and the lead grew as large as five points on a pair of occasions, including a 16-11 lead with 10:20 remaining. Providence then held NJIT to just two points over the final 3:39 of the half to close out with a 7-2 run and a 32-29 halftime lead.

The Highlanders later pulled to within 36-35 at 17:10 of the second half before the Friars went on a 17-8 run that put them up by 10 points for the fourth and final time of the game.

Aside from the marksmanship of Flores and Woods, a key for the NJIT comeback bid was its defense. Providence misfired on its final 10 shot attempts as the Highlanders held the Friars without a field goal for the final 7:07 of the contest. For the game, Providence shot just 32.3% (20-62) and 14.3% from beyond the arc.

NJIT finished at 36.7% (22-60) overall and 41.2% (7-17) from three-point territory. However, after grabbing the 63-62 lead, the Highlanders didn't score for the remaining 4:17 of the game – coming away without a point on their final six possessions.

Providence also held a significant 20-12 edge in second-chance points backed by 17 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Brice Kofane had a game-high five offensive boards en route to a team-leading nine rebounds.

“Overall, there's a huge positive to take from the way we responded in the second half to a good team and to being on the road,” said Engles. “But the key for us now is how we respond in our next game.”

That next game for the Highlanders is their home opener against Division III Eastern Nazarene (MA) College on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Fleisher Athletic Center.


Write-Up courtesy Matt Provence