NJIT GAME HIGHLIGHTS (VIDEO)


BUFFALO, NY – University of Buffalo senior Wes Clark scored a career-high 27 points as the Bulls held off the pesky Highlanders in overtime, 86-81, on Thursday at Alumni Arena in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
Clark, in just his third game with UB, tallied 13 of his points in the extra session – including a pair of free throws that put the Bulls ahead for good with 3:11 remaining. He became eligible on Dec. 19 after transferring from University of Missouri. His previous career-high was 26 points from an affair at University of South Carolina while a junior with the Tigers.
 
The UB win spoiled a big effort by junior Diandre Wilson, who notched a career-high 23 points. NJIT also received double-digit scoring efforts from freshman Shawndale Jones (15), sophomore Anthony Tarke (12) and junior Abdul Lewis (10). Additionally, Jones grabbed a team-high and career-high nine rebounds while UB junior C.J. Massinburg logged a game-high 10 boards.
 
The Highlanders fell to 7-7 as the Bulls improved to 8-5. The overtime game was NJIT's first of the season and first since an 84-83 loss at Lafayette College on Nov. 17, 2016. The Highlanders also fell to 0-3 all-time against opponents from the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC).
 
NJIT, which trailed by nine at the half, came storming back in the second half. After trimming the UB lead to 55-52 with 11:54 to play, the Highlanders went on a 14-0 run over the next 5:46 to build a game-high, 11-point lead at 66-55 with 6:27 remaining.
 
The Highlanders went ahead on a Lewis free throw and swelled the advantage to 11 points on the second of two Tarke triples during the run. As impressive as the offense was, the ASUN's leader in scoring defense held a high-scoring Bulls offense (entered at 80.7 ppg) scoreless for the entire 5:46 span.
 
However, the home team would not be denied. UB methodically whittled the lead down to one point before tying the contest with 0:32 remaining on a free throw by junior Jeremy Harris.
 
The Bulls actually had a chance to win in regulation, but sophomore Davonta Jordan missed a jumper at the buzzer that was highly contested by the NJIT defense.
 
With the score tied, 71-71, at the 3:27 mark of overtime, the Bulls went on a 7-0 run to build what proved to be an insurmountable lead. Clark capped off the span with a three-pointer that put UB up, 78-71, with 58 seconds remaining.
 
NJIT was forced to play the final 1:50 of regulation and the entire extra session without its leading scorer after Tarke picked up his fifth foul on a charge during a drive to the basket.
 
Lewis had a huge second half, posting all 10 of his points and all seven of his rebounds in the period. He was held to just five minutes in the first half after the ASUN's leading rebounder collected three personal fouls by the 15:56 mark of the first half.
 
As a team, the Highlanders were whistled for 20 fouls for the game while the Bulls were charged with 12, leading to a 28-to-17 free-throw advantage for the home team.
 
As many overtime affairs would indicate, the final game stats were otherwise remarkably even. The Highlanders finished shooting 42.3-percent from the floor (30-for-71) while the Bulls connected on 40.6-percent (28-for-69). UB held slight advantage in both rebounding (44-43) and turnovers forced (13-12).
 
The Bulls held a 45-36 lead at half, paced by a game-high 12 points by Clark on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Clark also hit his only three-point attempt as part of a team effort that hit 6-of-13 (.462) triples in the first half.
 
With Lewis on the bench, the size of the Bulls played a significant role. The Bulls used the final of their nine first-half offensive rebounds to open up a then-game-high lead of 10 points at 37-27 with 3:25 in the stanza. The host finished the half with a 9-3 edge in second-chance points.
 
Wilson and Jones paced the Highlanders in the first half with nine points apiece.
 
Jones was again a spark off the NJIT bench, scoring five points in his first 3:45 of burn to pull NJIT to within two points at 13-11 with 12:31 left in the half.
 
Meanwhile, Wilson set a spark in the second half by delivering eight points over the first 4:25 out of the locker room.
 
The Highlanders are back in action to close out their non-conference schedule with a road bout against Brown University (6-5) on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I.
 
This is a rematch of a Highlanders' 75-73 home win over the Bears last season on Jan. 4 at the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
With a win, NJIT will post a winning record in non-conference play for just the second time in program history. The Highlanders finished a program-best 9-7 (.563) in non-conference play in 2015-16, a season in which they advanced to the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com National Postseason Tournament for the second-consecutive year.