NJIT Game Highlights (VIDEO)


DELAND, FL -- The Highlanders (9-11, 1-3 ASUN) rallied in the second half, but eventually fall short in an 82-76 loss to the Stetson Hatters (8-12, 1-3 ASUN) on Thursday night at the Edmunds Center in DeLand.
 
After sophomore center Abdul Lewis hit a layup to tie things at 72 apiece with 2:36 left, Stetson's senior forward Brian Pegg hit a layup of his own on the other end to give the Hatters the lead for good.
 
With Stetson holding a 74-72 lead, senior forward Tim Coleman misfired on a jumper that would have tied the game and the Hatters' Angel Rivera delivered a layup on the other end to open up a 76-72 advantage for the hosts with 1:44 to play.
 
The Highlanders would not get closer than three the rest of the way and Stetson hit 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute to preserve the win.
 
As a team, the Hatters hit 11-of-19 (57.9%) from the free-throw line while NJIT sank 16-of-25 (64.0%).
 
Earlier in the second half, Divine Myles hit a layup to give Stetson a 56-45 lead with 15:17 left before NJIT embarked on a 14-3 run capped by a layup from Coleman which tied things at 59 apiece.
 
The Hatters quickly responded with an 8-0 spurt to open up a 67-59 edge, but the Highlanders did not go quietly and cut the lead back to one with a 9-1 run of their own.
 
Lewis paced NJIT with a career-high 20 points and 19 rebounds while senior guard Damon Lynn added 17 points and senior guard Rob Ukawuba also notched a double-double-the first of his career-with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Coleman and freshman Anthony Tarke chipped in with 11 apiece for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad.
 
Coleman added five rebounds in the game to surpass 700 in his career and is now one of 14 active players in Division-I with 1,300 career points and 700 career rebounds.
 
The 19 rebounds from Lewis broke the single-game NJIT record of 17 that had been set by Daquan Holiday on Jan. 12, 2013 vs. Chicago State.
 
Sophomore forward Derick Newton hit 7-of-13 from the floor en route to a game-high 21 points to lead Stetson whiles Miles added 16 points and Rivera contributed 14, respectively. Pegg added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Hatters.
 
Lewis hit a layup to tie things at 25 apiece with 7:56 left in the opening stanza before Stetson's Leo Goodman sank a triple on the other end to kickstart a 20-10 run and the Hatters took a 48-35 lead into the locker room.
 
NJIT outrebounded the Hatters by a 52-29 margin, led by the 19 rebounds from Lewis and 11 from Ukawuba. Pegg's seven boards led the way for Stetson.
 
The Highlanders will return to action on Saturday night when they battle Florida Gulf Coast (14-6, 3-1 ASUN) in Fort Myers, Fla. Opening tip from Alico Arena is set for 7 p.m. 


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry