NJIT vs. Boston University CIT highlights

Postgame comments: Coach Jim Engles, Damon Lynn, and Rob Ukawuba

Photo gallery: NJIT vs. Boston University

NEWARK, NJ—Junior Damon Lynn scored 31 points to lead four double-figure scorers for NJIT in an 83-72 victory Monday night over visiting Boston University in the second round of the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
 
NJIT (19-14) advances to the CIT quarterfinals, when it will host first-time opponent University of Texas at Arlington on Thursday at 7:30 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
UT Arlington won its CIT opening round game over Savannah State, 75-59. As one of the three top-ranked remaining teams in the CIT, according to the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (#105), UT Arlington received a bye into the quarterfinals. The Mavericks, who play in the Sun Belt Conference, are 24-10 this season.
 
In addition to Lynn's game-high 31 points, the victorious Highlanders got 20 points from Tim Coleman, who also had 9 rebounds and 6 assists; 14 points off the bench from Rob Ukawuba and 12 points from Ky Howard, who also had 6 assists.
 
Monday's 31 points for Lynn were his second-highest total this season, exceeded only by the 32 he scored at St. John's in an 83-74 win for the Highlanders back on December 20.
 
Coleman, also a junior, raised his season rebounds total to 240, which is a new NJIT season record sincethe  program began Division I competition in 2006-07. The old record was 234, set by Nesho Milosevic in 2007-08.
 
Boston University ends its season with a 19-15 record, with two of the losses coming against NJIT. The Highlanders defeated BU 90-76 on November 19 and followed that up with Monday's win in the CIT.
 
Senior John Papale, in his final college game, led the Terriers with 19 points, while reserves Cheddi Mosely and Nick Havener chipped in 15 points and 11 points, respectively. Havener's 9 rebounds paced the Terriers in that department.
 
Boston University's fate was sealed in the opening half when the Terriers shot just over 30 percent from the field and managed only 20 points. Included in their shooting struggles was a 2-for-14 rate from downtown.
 
BU broke out for 52 second-half points, including 8-for-15 on 3-pointers. However, NJIT, which held a 38-20 halftime advantage, made 62 percent (16-for-26) of its shots in the second half to survive Boston University's hot-shooting after the break.
 
Lynn got the Highlanders off to quick start, as he made three 3-pointers in the opening 1:48 to key a 9-0 start for the Highlanders, who led 13-3 after Ukawuba's tip-in with 15:16 left in the opening half.
 
Included in Lynn's 31 points was 6-for-13 shooting on 3-pointers, his highest total from distance since he made six against Stetson on February 11.
 
The Terriers, who wound up trailing for the entire game, trimmed the deficit to 17-15 after a Papale 3-pointer with 8:51 left in the half. But BU did not get another point until Papale made the first of two free throws with 3:38 left. By then, NJIT had built a 28-16 advantage.
 
Mosely finally broke the field goal drought for the visitors with 2:16 remaining in the opening half, but the Highlanders continued to extend their lead and went into the locker room on top, 38-20, paced by 16 points for Lynn and 11 for Coleman. Papale's six points were tops for the Terriers at halftime.
 
The Highlanders continued to control play early in the second half, going up by a game-best 24 points, 50-26, after Howard drained a 3-pointer with 16:37 left.
 
However, the Terriers connected on four straight 3-point tries between the 14:23 mark and the 11:38 mark to keep NJIT from pulling away any farther.
 
Havener later made a layup to pull the visitors to within 70-60 with 6:17 remaining, but Boston University would get no closer, as the Highlanders answered with six straight points of their own to stave off the threat.