Game Highlights (VIDEO)

Coleman Saves Win with Block (VIDEO)

Postgame Comments from Tarke, Coleman (VIDEO)


NEWARK, NJ -- Tim Coleman's block at the buzzer helped NJIT (8-8) hold off a late Brown rally in a 75-73 win over the Bears (9-7) on Wednesday night at Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
Brown's Tavon Blackmon pulled up from just outside the three-point arc and Coleman blocked his shot from behind to preserve the win.
 
The Highlanders remain unbeaten at home this season and has won eight straight in Newark dating back to last season.  NJIT has now also won three in a row for the first time this season.
 
NJIT led by as many as 18 points in the second half, but Brown embarked on a late 23-8 run to cut the lead to two in the final minute.
 
Leading 70-68 with 0:30 to play, the Highlanders hit five of their final six from the charity stripe to help seal the victory.
 
After Joshua Howard converted a three-point play to bring Brown within one at 74-73 with 0:05 left, Coleman sank a free throw on the other end before coming up with the game-saving block on his 22^nd birthday.
 
NJIT sank 31-of-35 (88.6%) from the free throw line on the night while Brown hit 19-of-29 (65.5%).
 
Freshman forward Anthony Tarke led the Highlanders with a career-high 16 points off the bench while Coleman added 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists and senior guard Damon Lynn chipped in with 12 points of his own. Sophomore center Abdul Lewis-the reigning ASUN Newcomer of the Week-contributed eight points and 12 rebounds for head coach Brian Kennedy's squad.
 
Steven Spieth paced Brown with 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and he was joined in double figures by Howard (14 points), freshman guard Brandon Anderson (12 points) and Blackmon and senior guard J.R. Hobbie who each added 10 points apiece.
 
After Coleman hit a pair of free throws to tie things at 31 apiece in the opening minute of the second half, NJIT kicked off a 23-5 run capped off by a triple from Tarke to open up their biggest lead of the night at 54-36 with 13:00 remaining.
 
Lynn hit a pair of three-pointers on the night to give him 417 in his career and move into seventh place all-time in NCAA Division I history.
 
Tarke and junior guard Chris Jenkins also each sank a pair of triples for the hosts.
 
In a back-and-forth first half in which neither team led by more than four, Spieth sank a late three to give Brown a 31-29 lead heading into the locker room.
 
The Highlanders outrebounded the Bears by a 34-29 margin, led by the 12 rebounds from Lewis and nine from Coleman. Spieth led the visitors with 10 boards.
 
NJIT will open ASUN play on Saturday afternoon when they head south to battle USC Upstate (10-7). Opening tip from the Hodge Center in Spartanburg is slated for 2 p.m.


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry