Game Highlights (Video)

Postgame Comments from Engles, Howard (Video)


NEWARK, NJ—NJIT had an 11-point lead with 1:28 remaining in Saturday's non-conference men's basketball game against UMBC. But the Highlanders had to hold on in a frantic finish to finally defeat the visiting Retrievers, 86-83.
 
The victory was the 100th for Jim Engles, who is about halfway through his eighth season as head coach of the Highlanders.
 
Both teams saw four of their starters reach double-figure scoring, as NJIT won for the third time in the last four games to raise its season record to 9-6 and UMBC dropped to 4-11.
 
UMBC sophomore Jairus Lyles led his team's furious rally, scoring a game-high 30 points. A transfer from VCU who was playing his fourth game since becoming eligible, Lyles came in averaging 25.7 points per game, but was limited to 11 points through most of Saturday's contest before pouring in 19 points in the last 3:51.
 
The top scorer for NJIT was junior Damon Lynn, who finished with 20 points while also handing out a game-high 6 assists and making 6 steals, which tied the program record he already held jointly with Chris Flores (Class of 2013).
 
Following closely in the scoring column behind Lynn for the Highlanders on Saturday were: senior Ky Howard and junior Tim Coleman, with 19 points each, and Terrence Smith with 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field.
 
The visiting Retrievers got 21 points from sophomore point guard Rodney Elliott, who went 9-for-10 at the foul line, as did the high scorer Lyles. Junior Will Darley scored 14 points for the visitors and freshman Joe Sherburne tossed in 10 points.
 
NJIT, which had been outrebounded in four straight games before pulling down 43 to 36 for Saint Francis U on December 30, again won the battle on the boards against UMBC, 40-31. Every Highlander starter got at least four rebounds and senior Emmanuel Tselentakis was the individual leader with 7. Smith got 6 rebounds to match his season high and Lynn and Howard each notched 5 rebounds, as did Osa Ivezbuwa in 9 minutes off the bench.
 
Lyles, who is 6-foot-2, topped the visitors on the boards with 6 rebounds.
 
NJIT, which got off to slow starts in each of its previous two games, a home loss to Stony Brook and a road win at Saint Francis, did it again on Saturday, as UMBC took a 15-4 lead after Darley scored a fast-break layup 4:43 after the opening tip. The Retrievers shot 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 at the foul line to claim the early lead with the Highlanders going 2-for-8, including 0-for-4 from downtown, on the other end.
 
Unlike two games ago, when NJIT spotted Stony Brook the game's first 14 points en route to an 83-61 loss, the Highlanders gathered themselves and rallied against UMBC,with NJIT taking its first lead of the day, 31-29, after Smith hit a jump shot with 3:08 left in the opening half.
 
A later Smith jumper put the Highlanders up 35-31, but UMBC got a 3-pointer from Sherburne and then two foul shots by Elliott with 1.3 seconds left to take a 36-35 halftime advantage.
 
The two late free throws gave Elliott 10 points at the break, tops for either team. Lyles scored 9 and Darley 8 for UMBC.
 
NJIT was paced by Lynn's 9 first-half points, followed by 8 from Smith.
 
The Highlanders, who fell into a 13-5 hole in the previous game at Saint Francis, outscored the Red Flash in the second half of that one, 42-23 to end with a 77-6 win. NJIT seemed to be doing something similar against UMBC, taking what would be the biggest Highlanders lead, 60-49, when Coleman drained a 3-pointer with 7 minutes left.
 
The home team would hold 11-point advantages four more times, the latest at 78-67, when Smith canned two foul shots with 1:28 left in the game.
 
Lyles made the second of two free throws 8 seconds later for UMBC and then his backcourt partner Elliott made a steal and a breakaway layup to put the score at 78-70 with 71 seconds left in the game.
 
NJIT, ranked fifth in the nation in team free throw percentage coming into the game, has put that skill to good use late in close games. But the Highlanders missed two foul shots with 46 seconds left, opening the door to UMBC to keep up its late surge.
 
Darley got the rebound on the second Highlander missed free throw and Lyles drove for a layup on the other end, trimming NJIT's advantage to 78-72 with 41 ticks remaining.
 
Howard of the Highlanders was fouled quickly and he made both foul shots, but Lyles fired in a 3-pointer for the Retrievers, pulling them to within 5 points, 80-75, with 32 seconds left.
 
NJIT's Coleman was fouled and made one of two, but Elliott put back a missed Retriever shot and UMBC was down 4 with 13 seconds to play.
 
Fouled again, Howard, who shot 7-for-8 at the line, made two more free throws before Lyles threw in yet another 3-pointer to pull UMBC to 83-80 with 9 seconds on the clock. With the Retrievers pressing and trapping, Howard got the ball ahead of the pack to Smith, who dunked for a 5-point Highlander lead.
 
Lyles then fired in another 3-pointer from downtown, giving him 11 points over the final 41 seconds.
 
Coleman, fouled with less than 3 seconds on the clock, made his first free throw, but missed the second. He controlled the rebound as it bounded out near midcourt as the buzzer sounded. However, he walked while gathering in the rebound and after a video review, the officials gave the ball to UMBC in front of the scorers' table with 4/10 of a second put back on the clock.
 
Sherburne's desperate 3-point heave for UMBC from the left corner was an air ball and the wild finish ended with NJIT on top 86-83.
 
The Highlanders, who are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference this season for the first time, will wrap up the pre-conference slate with a difficult challenge at Yale on Wednesday at 7 pm in New Haven, CT. Yale, the co-champion of the Ivy League in 2014-15, is 7-5 after crushing Hartford 88-53 at Hartford Saturday night.
 
NJIT's 78-71 home win over Yale last January 9 was one of the highlights in the record-setting season for the Highlanders in 2014-15.