Box Score
NJIT GAME HIGHLIGHTS (VIDEO)

ESPN3 POSTGAME RECAP (VIDEO)


KENNESAW, GA – NJIT sophomore Anthony Tarke scored a career-high 27 points as the Highlanders (10-11, 3-3) held off the Owls (5-16, 1-5) for a 66-60 win at the KSU Convocation Center on Wednesday.
 
Tarke's scoring total was also the highest by a Highlander this season and most by an NJIT player since Damon Lynn tallied 33 points against North Florida on Jan. 14, 2017. The sophomore shot an efficient 10-for-14 from the floor in posting game highs in both points (27) and rebounds (9).

He also silenced the home crowd with four more dunks in the game.
 
The win marked NJIT's first victory away from Newark this season, snapping a 16-game, road losing streak which started after a 64-61 win at Stony Brook on Dec. 28, 2016. Brian Kennedy's squad also snapped a two-game skid in the all-time series with Kennesaw State – a series it now leads, 3-2.
 
As the final score indicates, the Highlanders turned in another terrific effort on defense. NJIT arrived in Georgia with the second-best scoring defense in the ASUN in allowing 72.1 points per game.
 
On Wednesday, they allowed just 60 points while forcing the Owls into 20 turnovers. The Highlanders also entered the contest leading the conference with 8.1 steals per game and nearly doubled that mark with 14 thefts – their third-largest total of the season.
 
Sophomore Shyquan Gibbs paced the team with a career-high four steals while junior Reilly Walsh and freshman Zach Cooks contributed three apiece.
 
All that said, it looked like NJIT would coast to a comfortable victory on Wednesday. However, the host team evidentially "gave a hoot," as the Owls would not go down without a fight.
 
The Highlanders stormed out of the half with an 18-6 run which transformed a 32-29 halftime lead into a game-high, 15-point advantage at 50-35 with 12:31 remaining in the game.
 
Tarke tallied NJIT's first seven points of the second stanza, including a three-pointer and a thunderous dunk to put the Highlanders up by eight. The Gaithersburg, Md., native continued his relentless play, scoring 14 of the 18 points in the aforementioned run that propelled the NJIT lead to its apex.
 
With a combination of Highlanders' missed free throws and the Owls defense creating turnovers of its own, Kennesaw climbed back into the game. NJIT committed eight turnovers in the second half while draining just 12-of-23 (52.2%) free throws, two huge factors that kept the Owls within reach.

In fact, the Highlanders wen nearly six minutes without making a field goal from 8:50 to 3:09 in the second stanza until junior Diandre Wilson snapped the drought with a layup. 
 
KSU Senior Nick Masterson scored nine of his team-high 21 points down the stretch – including a three-pointer that pulled the Owls to within four points at 62-58 with 43 seconds to play.
 
With the game becoming uncomfortable late, Walsh and Cooks combined to drain four free throws in the final minute and the Owls never pulled any closer.
 
The Highlanders finished shooting 46.0-percent (23-for-50) from the floor and 41.7-percent (5-for-12) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the late surge pulled the Owls to 49.0-percent (24-for-49) from the floor. Yet, the Owls never heated up from downtown, draining just 2-of-9 three-point attempts.
 
In addition to a 20-17 turnover edge, the Highlanders were also aided by a 30-26 rebounding advantage. NJIT, which entered the contest leading the ASUN in offensive rebounds per game (11.6), added 10 more offensive boards for a 12-4 edge in second-chance points.
 
Tarke, who has now reached the 20-point plateau in five games in 2017-18, has led the team in scoring in 11 (52.4%) of 21 contests this season while scoring in double-digits in 18 (85.7%) games. Over his last 15 affairs, he is averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The team's leading scorer entered the week as one of just two ASUN players in the Top-20 in the conference in per-game averages for points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.
 
Although no other Highlander finished in double-figures in scoring, Walsh and Wilson both tallied nine points. Sophomore James Scott (15 points) and junior Kyle Clarke (10 points) joined Masterson in double-digits for the Owls.
 
NJIT next returns home for a showdown with Lipscomb University (13-8, 3-3) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the beautiful new Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark.
 
Lipscomb, which entered the year picked second in both the ASUN media and coaches polls, defeated NJIT in all three meetings last season – including a 97-66 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2017 ASUN Tournament at Allen Arena on Feb. 27.
 
The Highlanders will then have a rematch with this same Owls squad in the back-end of a two-game homestand on Monday.