GAME HIGHLIGHTS (VIDEO)

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM LEWIS & KENNEDY (VIDEO)

THE RAFF REPORT: POSTGAME ANALYSIS (VIDEO)

PLAY OF THE GAME: SAN ANTONIO BRINSON (VIDEO)


NEWARK, NJ – Junior forward Abdul Lewis hit a free throw with 14 seconds left to ice the game and the NJIT Highlanders (4-2) notched their third straight win for the first time in nearly a year with a 73-69 victory over the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds (2-6) on Tuesday night at the Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark.
 
This marks NJIT's first ever win over LIU-Brooklyn and the Highlanders have now won four straight at the WEC.
 
Head coach Brian Kennedy's squad has won three straight contests for the first time since Dec. 22, 2016-Jan. 4, 2017. 

With the win, NJIT has matched the best six-game start in program history at 4-2 set in 2012-13 and tied in 2013-14.

Lewis' free throw came on the heels of the Blackbirds having two chances to tie the game at 72 apiece, but Jashaun Agosto and Zach Coleman came up short on triples that would have evened things.
 
The Highlanders led 72-66 with 1:32 to play before LIU-Brooklyn cut it to a one-possession game on a trio of free throws and had their chances to tie the game in the final minute.
 
The game was a back-and-forth affair during which neither team led by more than nine points.
 
After the Blackbirds' Joel Hernandez hit a layup to give the visitors the lead at 48-47 with 15:42 to play, Anthony Tarke converted a layup of his own on the other end to give NJIT the lead for good and kickstart a 13-3 run.
 
The Highlanders led 60-51 at the 11:25 mark, but LIU-Brooklyn wouldn't go away and a bucket from Raul Frias brought them within one at 67-66 with 3:51 remaining.
 
Lewis recorded his ASUN-leading third double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and 18 rebounds -- one point shy of his career-high scoring output set at Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 21, 2017, and one rebound short of his NJIT single-game record of 19 set Jan. 19, 2017 at Stetson. Fifteen of the Newark native's 23 tallies came in the second half.
 
"This was a big game. Abdul [Lewis] played his heart out and led us to victory tonight," said Brian Kennedy, whose team outscored LIU, 42-36, in the paint. "I'm so proud of Abdul -- how far he's come and how well he's playing. I love to coach him every day."

Junior guard Diandre Wilson added 16 points of his own on 6-of-9 shooting for the Highlanders.
 
NJIT shot an even 50.0% (29-58) from the floor, while holding LIU-Brooklyn to 37.7% (20-53) shooting.
 
Hernandez and sophomore guard Julian Batts led a quartet of Blackbirds in double figures with 13 points apiece, while junior guard/forward Raiquan Clark added 12 and Agosto contributed 11 of his own.
 
With things tied at seven apiece in the early going, Lewis hit a layup to kick off a 10-2 spurt that opened up a 17-9 advantage for the Highlanders with 13:07 left in the opening stanza.
 
LIU Brooklyn answered with a 27-15 run of their own that was capped by two free throws from Clark to make it a 36-32 game at the 2:13 mark. Donovan Greer's triple on the other end brought NJIT back within one and started a 9-2 run in the final 90 seconds that gave the hosts a 41-38 lead heading into the locker room.

"Tonight, I just wanted to come out and be aggressive," said Lewis, who leads the ASUN in rebounding at 11.3 boards per game. "My teammates instill confidence in me; coach 'BK' instills alot of confidence in me. I've kind of been starting slow this season, but my teammates constantly tell me to be more aggressive and be more confident. So I wanted to come out and play well for them."  

Lewis also entered the game ranked 11th among all active Division-I players in career rebounding average (8.7).
 
The Highlanders will play their second of three Power five foes on Thursday night when they head to Morgantown to battle the No.19 West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1). Opening tip from WVU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on AT&T SportsNet.


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry