Box Score (PDF)
 
 
EASTON, PA – Sophomore G Seth Hinrichs netted a game-high 21 points and connected on five of Lafayette's 13 three-pointers in a Leopards' 83-66 home victory over the Highlanders on Tuesday at Kirby Sports Center. With the win, Lafayette (6-10) has now won five consecutive home contests while NJIT (6-8) has dropped three straight games for the first time this season.

The Leopards shot 50 (29-58) percent from the field as well as 50 percent from deep (13-26). In fact, including their previous affair at Stanford, they have connected on 24 of their last 45 (53.3 percent) three-point attempts. Lafayette entered the game with the third-best three-point percentage in the Patriot League (.372) while the NJIT topped the Great West Conference and ranked 40th in the nation in defending shots from beyond the perimeter (.288).

Prior to the game at Stanford, the Leopards had nine straight games with single-digit three-pointer totals after posting season highs with 15 treys in back-to-back games at Morehead State (Nov. 18) and at Maryland (Nov. 20).

In last season's game in Newark, it was NJIT that sunk a then season-high 13 three-pointers in 22 tries against the Leopards en route to a 78-58 win. Their 59.1 percent accuracy from downtown set a Highlanders' Division I program single-game record.

Hinrichs was successful on seven of his eight field-goal attempts while missing just once in six tries from beyond the arc. He also tied senior F Ryan Woods with a game-high seven rebounds. Senior G Tony Johnson finished with 15 points – all in the first half – and a game-high seven assists. Senior F Levi Giese was the only other Lafayette scorer in double figures with 10 points.

The Highlanders were led in scoring by a trio of seniors, as Woods, G Chris Flores and G PJ Miller all amassed 13 points. Flores also added a team-high four assists and game-high tying three steals.

Upon his return to the Lehigh Valley, former William Allen H.S. standout Daquan Holiday tallied a Division I career-high nine points. The conference's leading shot blocker finished with a game-high three rejections.

NJIT took its first and only lead of the night on a three-pointer by Flores that put the Highlanders up, 18-16, with 12:18 left in the first half. The lead was short-lived, as Giese answered from deep 27 second later to put the Leopards up for good.

The home team started to pull away from good in the final six minutes of the half.

A pair of made free throws by Woods, who leads the GWC in free-throw percentage at .921, completed a 7-0 run by the Highlanders and them pulled to within 29-26 with 5:51 remaining.

Lafayette answered this run with one of its own. Johnson, a 2011-12 PL Second-Team selection, scored the first five points of what culminated as a 17-5 half-ending spurt that game the Leopards a game-high, 15-point lead at 46-31 heading into the break.

Turnovers were a significant factor in the first half. Lafayette created 10 takeaways while committing just one to outscore NJIT, 18-0, in points off of turnovers.

Halftime did not change the Highlanders' fortune, as the Leopards reeled off nine of the first 13 points of the second half to build their lead to 20 with 16:47 remaining. The lead would swell as high as 28 when Lafayette's 12th three-pointer of the game – this one by PL three-point leader Joey Ptasinski – made it a 71-43 lead with 9:14 left in the contest.

In fact, the Leopards led by at least 20 points for a span of 12:39 until a three-point play by freshman G Nigel Sydnor trimmed the lead to 19 points with 1:36 remaining.

Sydnor finished with eight points off the bench for the second consecutive game.

The 17-point loss marked the Highlanders' largest defeat this season. Previously, their most lopsided defeat came in a 70-60 loss at Villanova on Dec. 28. NJIT lost by just one point at Providence, eight at St. John's and nine at Seton Hall -- and had an average margin of defeat of just 4.3 points overall prior to Wednesday's affair.

“This is as good an offensive team as we have seen this season, and we've played four BIG EAST opponents,” Head Coach Jim Engles said. “Lafayette is a well-coached and very disciplined team. They didn't miss many shots tonight; and when they did, they'd get an offensive rebound.”

NJIT entered the game 11th in the nation in rebounding (42.5), but were out-boarded, 37-28. And although the Highlanders shot 42.6 percent from the floor, the nation's 47th ranked three-point shooting team (.374) connected at just 17.4 percent (4-23).

The Highlanders will look to rebound from their first losing streak of the season when they begin conference play at Utah Valley on Saturday. The Wolverines (7-9), who are 4-2 at home this season, were predicted to win the regular season according to the annual GWC Coaches' Poll.

NJIT lost both regular-season games to Utah Valley last season before knocking out the No. 1 seed in a 88-78 overtime victory in the second round of the 2012 GWC Tournament at Chicago State.

The Highlanders are 0-6 on the road this season – though four of those defeats have come to BIG EAST opponents. They will look to snap an eight-game road losing streak and earn their first road victory since Feb. 4, 2012, at Chicago State.

Tip-off is 9:05 EST at UCCU Center in Orem, Utah – where the Highlanders have gone 1-8 all-time (0-6 against the Wolverines).
 
 
Write-up courtesy of Matt Provence