Skip To Main Content

New Jersey Institute of Technology Athletics

Scoreboard

New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders
Sponsored by:

Men's Basketball

Highlanders' Second-Half Surge Falls Short in 70-60 Defeat at Villanova

Wildcats Finish with a 16-6 Run After the Highlanders Tied the Score with 5:48 Remaining

Sophomore F Odera Nweke turned in one of the finest efforts of his career, finishing with eight points, six rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist.


Box Score (PDF)


VILLANOVA, PA – Undermanned, but not overwhelmed, the Highlanders' late surge fell short in a 70-60 loss at Villanova on Friday night. With the score tied 54-54 with 5:33 to go, the Wildcats received five consecutive points from leading scorer JayVaughn Pinkston to pull away for good.

Villanova (9-4) ended the game on a 16-6 run and has now won five consecutive contests.

Senior F Ryan Woods led the Highlanders (6-6) with 13 points to go along with six rebounds. Senior G Chris Flores netted 11 points and senior G PJ Miller had 10 and a team-high five assists to round-out NJIT's double-digit scorers.

Senior C Sean McCarthy contributed four points and a block to go along with his team-high seven rebounds.

Villanova freshman G Ryan Arcidiacono tallied a game-high 17 points and freshman F Daniel Ochefu grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to help guide the Wildcats in their final affair prior to conference play.

NJIT (6-6), which played the entire game with an eight-man rotation, sparred competitive for the fourth time in four tries against BIG EAST opponents this season – all meetings taking place on the road. But for the first time in such contests, they were without two of their top rebounders, as both freshman F Terrence Smith and junior F Quentin Bastian were sidelined with left foot injuries. Leading scorer Chris Flores also missed significant time in the second half due to injury (leg cramping).

“This game shows what kind of guys we have; the heart and the determination that this team has,” Head Coach Jim Engles said. “They fought and they knew they had some guys down, but everyone knows that have to step up and several guys did that again tonight. We'll keep preaching that and we're going to keep getting better.”

The Highlanders, who trailed by as many as 10 points four minutes into the second half, faced a nine-point deficit with 12:33 to go following the fourth and final three-pointer of the night by Arcidiacono. After the teams exchanged two-point field goals, NJIT went on a 7-0 run that was later interrupted on a technical foul called against Engles.

Even so, the Highlanders extended to a 10-1 spurt over a 3:02 span when a three-pointer by freshman G Nigel Sydnor tied the game at 51-51 with 7:48 remaining. Sydnor later tied the game a second time when he connected on a pair of free throws to even the score, 54-54, with 5:48 left in regulation.

However, that would be the final time the two teams were knotted on the scoreboard.

Pinkston's three-point play on a layup and a McCarthy foul gave the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish. Pinkston finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes in his eighth consecutive game coming off the bench.

A pair of Woods free throws made it a one-possession game for the final time at 3:09. But the Highlanders did not pull any closer as the Wildcats scored nine of the contest's final 11 points before the final buzzer.

The Highlanders held one lead in the game, as a Flores triple put NJIT up, 10-9, at the 13:38 mark of the first half. Although the advantage lasted for just 1:07 until a pair of free-throws by senior F Mouphtaou Yarou, NJIT forced eight ties in the losing effort.

As Engles pointed out following the game, NJIT continued to receive key contributions from players off the bench. One specific player mentioned was Sydnor, who finished with seven points – which all came at big moments – along with three rebounds and two assists.

“Nigel has been playing well and he's really practicing great the last couple days,” Engles said. “We told him he's got to step up. We wanted him to play more of a role tonight and he really did.”

Sophomore F Odera Nweke also helped fill the void in the frontcourt. The 6-5 product of Richmond, Texas, played a career-high 27 minutes and posted Division I career-highs in points (eight), rebounds (six) and steals (three) while also contributing an assist and a block.

In spite of NJIT's short roster and size disadvantage, the nation's ninth-best rebounding team out-boarded Villanova, 46-41. Engles' squad also finished with an edge in the paint, 26-24.

Additionally, the Highlanders defense held a hot Wildcats' offense to just 30.8 percent (20-65) from the floor and 18.5 percent (5-27) from downtown. In its prior two appearances, Villanova had blazed at 49.0 percent and 54.3 percent, respectively. NJIT entered the week as the nation's 21st best field-goal percentage defense.

However, the Wildcats were able to force 19 NJIT turnovers – the Highlanders' highest total of the season – which led to a 23-7 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Another key was the Wildcats free-throw shooting. Fueled by a 24-16 foul differential, Villanova connected on 25-of-33 (75.8 percent) from the line compared to the NJIT mark of 8-of-15 (53.3 percent). In four BIG EAST road games this season, the Highlanders have been whistled for 76 fouls to just 56 – an average of five more per contest. Additionally, the home teams combined have held a remarkable 117-43 free-throw advantage for an average of 18 more tries per game.

The Highlanders have lost these four BIG EAST contest by an average of just 7.0 points per game -- none larger than the 10-point defeat on Friday. Prior to this season, NJIT had lost its first 11 games against said foes by an average of 25.7 points with five loses by at least 25 points.

Whereas the Highlanders finished 0-4 against BIG EAST teams this season and are now 0-15 all-time, NJIT has now provided a scare to its BCS conference competition into the second half of each of its last six tries.

This season, NJIT took a 63-62 lead in the opener at Providence College with 4:17 remaining – the latest the program had ever led against a BIG EAST foe. The Highlanders wound up losing, 64-63, on a free throw by the conference's current leading scorer Bryce Cotton with :05 left in regulation.

Against St. John's on Dec. 1, the Highlanders set a new program-high when they led a BIG EAST team by 14 points – going up 37-23 on a jumper for freshman F Terrence Smith :30 into the second half. The Highlanders led as late as 6:25 remaining in the game before the Red Storm ended on a 13-2 run for a 57-49 victory.

Against Seton Hall on Dec. 4, NJIT trailed by four points inside the final two minutes before eventually succumbing, 68-59, at the Prudential Center. In his postgame press conference, Seton Hall Head Coach Kevin Willard remarked, “I think Jim has done an unbelievable job. Absolutely unbelievable…They have a good group of kids who play hard.”

Upon reflecting back upon this season's series against BIG EAST teams, Engles said, “Our effort against them has been tremendous. You've got to think about where we've come from – we went to Boston College and lost nearly 60 [in 2009-10]. This is a testament of how far the program has come and the type of players we have. We have guys that really care and that are going to fight to the end. They're good kids on and off the floor.”

Postgame Friday, Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright added, “I just give NJIT a lot of credit. They played three teams in the BIG EAST and they were tough and they played us tough.”

NJIT now has limited time to prepare for its next contest, which is a home tilt against St. Francis (New York) on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m., but will take place 30 minutes after the women's game as part of a women's/men's doubleheader at Fleisher Athletic Center. The front end of the twin bill will start at 2 p.m.

The Terriers (3-7), who compete in the Northeast Conference, defeated the Highlanders 79-60 in Newark last season on Nov. 26. They lead the all-time matchup with the Highlanders, 2-0.


Write-up courtesy of Matt Provence

Print Friendly Version