NJIT GAME HIGHLIGHTS (VIDEO)

POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM KENNEDY, LEWIS, TARKE

THE RAFF REPORT: POSTGAME ANALYSIS


NEWARK, NJ – For the second time in five days, Kennesaw State put together a late rally, but the Owls (6-17, 2-6 ASUN) front rimmed a three from just inside midcourt at the buzzer that would have tied the game as the NJIT Highlanders (11-12, 4-4 ASUN) escaped with a 74-71 victory on Monday night at the Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark.
 
James Scott's three-point attempt was off the mark and NJIT now leads the all-time series against the Owls by a 4-2 margin.
 
The Highlanders are 10-4 at the WEC on the season and have surpassed their ASUN win total from a year ago with six games remaining.
 
Sophomore forward Anthony Tarke hit a free throw with 0:03 left that made it a 74-71 game in favor of NJIT.
 
The second half featured multiple runs on both sides as the two teams exchanged blows.
 
Abdul Lewis' basket with 1:42 left opened up a 68-62 advantage for the Highlanders, but Kennesaw State would not go quietly as the visitors made it a one possession game on a few different occasions.
 
Head coach Brian Kennedy's squad hit 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute including four free throws from Tarke.
 
Scott's layup at the 11:13 mark of the second half tied the game at 50 apiece and completed a comeback from a 21-point first half deficit for the Owls.
 
Junior Reilly Walsh sank a free throw on the other end to kickstart a 12-2 run that was capped by a pair of free throws from Zach Cooks that opened up a 62-52 lead for NJIT with 6:13 to play.
 
The Highlanders sank 24-of-32 (75.0%) from the charity stripe, while Kennesaw State was 11-of-16 (68.8%).
 
Lewis had 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds for NJIT and was joined in double figures by Tarke (18 points, eight rebounds) and freshman guard Shawndale Jones (10 points).
 
The 20 points for Lewis mark his second 20 plus point output of the season after he scored 23 on Nov. 28 vs. LIU-Brooklyn.
 
Scott's game-high 22 points paced the Owls, while Nick Masterson added 16 of his own and sophomore forward Anthony Wilson came through with 10 points off the bench.
 
The Highlanders shot 51.2% (22-of-43) from the floor and 40.0% (6-of-15) from deep, while Kennesaw State was 27-of-62 (43.5%) from the field and 6-of-12 (50.0%) from three point range.
 
NJIT came storming out of the gate in this one as the hosts scored the first nine points of the contest, but the Owls rallied to cut the lead to four at 11-7 with 15:10 to play in the opening stanza.
 
Tarke sank a jumper to kickstart a 21-3 run over the next seven plus minutes and a triple from Jones opened up a game-high 21-point lead at 31-10 with 7:40 left in the first half.
 
As was the theme for the game, Kennesaw State responded and a three-pointer from Tyler Hooker made it a 40-30 game in favor of NJIT heading into the locker room. 
 
The Highlanders hit the road on Saturday to battle the Lipscomb Bison (15-8, 5-3 ASUN) at Allen Arena in Nashville. Opening tip is set for 5 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN3.


Write-up courtesy of Joe Fitzhenry