Box Score (PDF)


NEWARK, N.J. – Senior G Chris Flores scored all of his game-high 23 points in the final 20:03 at the Prudential Center, but the effort was just not enough to complete a spirited comeback bid in a 68-59 loss to Seton Hall (6-2) on Tuesday. The Highlanders (4-4) fell to 0-3 in the BIG EAST Conference this season, but all three games have been single-digit defeats and all three came on the road.

The Highlanders trimmed the Pirates' lead to just four points with 2:09 remaining after the season-high, fifth three-pointer of the contest by Flores. At that point, senior G Kyle Smyth answered with perhaps the biggest play of the night. Up 55-51, the Iona transfer answered by connecting on a three-pointer -- while fouled by senior F Ryan Woods -- moments before the shot clock expired. The eventual four-point play doubled the lead and put Seton Hall up, 59-51, with 1:41 to go.

The Highlanders never pulled closer to six for the remainder of the game.

Smyth, who entered the game shooting .481 from downtown, finished with 13 points on 4-6 from beyond the arc. Ten of his timely points came in the second stanza. Sophomore Aaron Cosby also recorded 10 second-half points to finish with 10 – seven accumulated on free throws in the final 2:18 of the game.

Smyth and Cosby picked up for junior F Fuquan Edwin, who scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the first half. The Paterson, N.J., native also grabbed a game-high tying 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Edwin was matched in rebounding by senior C Sean McCarthy, whose 10 boards matched his career-high set against Lafayette on Nov. 21, 2009.

Woods was the only other NJIT scorer in double figures, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds in a game-high 38 minutes.

“I was really proud with our effort,” said Head Coach Jim Engles. “I think we've been competing physically with these teams. But I told our guys that it's no different with a Big East team or a Great West team, we have to finish. There are a lot of things we can do better, but it's just a matter of finishing games now.”

The Highlanders struggled to find consistency early in the contest. After taking a 9-8 lead on a free throw by freshman G Ky Howard with 12:52 on the scoreboard, NJIT fell prey to a 15-2 run over the next 6:08 that put Seton Hall up 23-11 by the third media timeout. Edwin accounted for eight of the points during the span.

The lead eventually swelled to a game-high 14 points at 29-15 with 2:09 to go in the first half.  But the Highlanders scored six of the final eight points of the half – including a three-pointer by Flores seconds before the final buzzer – to keep NJIT within striking distance.

Prior to that jumper from Flores, the Great West Conference's leading scorer had been held to zero points on 0-6 shooting. Flores connected on eight of 15 attempts in the second session – four of six from beyond the perimeter – to post his fifth 20-plus scoring effort this season.

In the process, the Dorchester, Mass., native passed his former teammate Jheryl Wilson ('11) to move into ninth all-time on NJIT's career scoring list with 1,378 career points.

Out of the break, the Highlanders extended to a 27-15 run that pulled them within two points (44-42) with 9:40 remaining in the game. In fact, a missed three-pointer by junior F Brian Oliver afforded  NJIT its first – and only -- opportunity to either tie the game or take a lead in the second half. But a turnover on a drive by senior G PJ Miller led to an emphatic dunk on the other end by junior C Eugene Teague, and the Highlanders never again made it a one-possession game.

After shooting just 7-for-28 (25 percent) in the first half, the Highlanders bounced back to hit 14-of-34 (41 percent) attempts in the final 20 minutes. Plus, the team connected on 43 percent (9-21) of its three-point attempts for the game. The Pirates finished at 40 percent (21-52), but take out Edwin (8-11) and that number would be just 32 percent.

A big boost in the second period was a result of the team pounding the glass. After being out-rebounded, 24-18, in the first half, the Highlanders held a 25-16 edge in the second half for a 43-40 advantage overall. NJIT entered the contest as the 11^th best rebounding team in the nation.

“We came out passive in the first half; but our energy picked up in the second half,” Engles said. “We've been talking about playing better in the second half than we have in last few games. Once we started defending and rebounding, we were able to get out in transition – which really helped our offense.”

NJIT fell to 0-4 all-time against Seton Hall, with all four games taking place at the Prudential Center over the past four seasons.

The Highlanders have now dropped their first 14 all-time contests against opponents from the BIG EAST, one of the most prolific conferences in NCAA basketball. However, over its last five tries – three this season – NJIT has provided a scare in the second half of all five contests.

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.

After tying Seton Hall at 36-36 early in the second half of their 2011 meeting, NJIT trailed by four points inside the final two minutes of Tuesday's contest.

They'll have one more shot at a BIG EAST program this season when they play their fourth and final such matchup at Villanova on Dec. 28.

In the meantime, the Highlanders will now have a week before opening a two-game homestand against Army on Dec. 11. NJIT is a perfect 4-0 at home this season and has a six-game winning streak at Fleisher Athletic Center dating back to the 2011-12 season.


Write-up courtesy of Matt Provence