NJIT GAME HIGHLIGHTS (VIDEO)

PLAY OF THE GAME: BRINSON'S BIG-BOY DUNK! (VIDEO)

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM KENNEDY, WILSON (VIDEO)

THE RAFF REPORT: POSTGAME ANALYSIS (VIDEO)


NEWARK, NJ – The NJIT Highlanders (9-10, 2-2 ASUN) shot 68.6% from the field in the first half to open up a big halftime lead and cruised to a 91-59 victory over North Florida (8-13, 2-2 ASUN) on Thursday night at the Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark.
 
NJIT has now won three straight and nine of their 11 games at the WEC this season.
 
The 32 point win is the largest margin of victory for the Highlanders in an ASUN contest and their biggest win over a Division I opponent since a 94-51 victory over Longwood on Feb. 25, 2012.
 
The previous largest margin of victory in an ASUN game was 20, an 83-63 win vs. Jacksonville on Jan. 21, 2016.
 
North Florida scored the first five points of the game, but a layup from Reilly Walsh got the Highlanders on the board at the 18:41 mark of the opening stanza to kickstart a 34-9 run over the next eight plus minutes.
 
Anthony Tarke capped the run with a three-point play and NJIT led 34-14 with 10:22 to play in the first half.
 
Head coach Brian Kennedy's squad led by double digits for the final 33 plus minutes of the contest.
 
The Highlanders hit 24-of-35 (68.6%) from the field in the opening half and drained 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
 
The first half featured a balanced attack offensively for NJIT as eight different players scored at least five points in the frame.
 
Junior guard Diandre Wilson paced the Highlanders offensively with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting including a perfect 5-of-5 effort from three. Tarke, Zach Cooks and Abdul Lewis all joined Wilson in double figures with 10 points apiece.
 
Wilson's five three pointers are tied for the most made by an NJIT player this season after Cooks buried five on Nov. 22 vs. Kean.
 
Walsh came through with nine points and the duo of junior center Mohamed Bendary and sophomore forward Taj Price delivered eight points apiece.
 
The eight points for Price matched his season-high, which had been done on two previous occasions.
 
NJIT compiled 25 assists on their 37 field goals and the 25 helpers ties the second-highest total of the year.
 
Noah Horchler contributed 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead the Ospreys, while freshman forward Trip Day added 10 of his own.
 
North Florida entered play leading the ASUN in scoring (79.9 ppg) and three-point percentage (37.6%), but the Highlanders held the visitors to 59 points and 8-of-31 shooting (25.8%) from deep.
 
This marks just the third time this season that the Ospreys have been held under 60 points.
 
Holding a 58-30 halftime lead, NJIT scored the first nine points of the second half on a trio of triples to open up a 67-30 advantage with 18:29 left in the game.
 
UNF would not get closer than 30 in the second half.
 
A layup from Price stretched the lead to as many as 41 at 87-46 with 5:41 to play.
 
The Highlanders outrebounded the Ospreys by a 44-31 margin, led by six rebounds apiece from Lewis and Tarke. Horchler paced North Florida with a game-high eight caroms.
 
NJIT is back in action on Saturday afternoon when the Jacksonville Dolphins (9-12, 3-1 ASUN) come to the WEC for a 4 p.m. tilt. The game can be seen on ESPN3.


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry