PISCATAWAY, NJ - The NJIT men's basketball team was defeated by host Rutgers 85-58 in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

NJIT (2-5) opened the contest on a thunderous dunk from San Antonio Brinson and the Highlanders led for more than eight minutes early and by as many as six.

Rutgers (5-1) stayed close and tied the game 18-18 with 9:27 before halftime and closed the half on an 22-4 run, eventually taking a 36-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"They definitely picked up their defense," said Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "They came up and picked up full court, started pressuring us and playing more physical, and pushing us out. We normally start our offense at the three-point line and in and we're out by the hash marks. I think the full-court pressure that they put on got them going a little bit more. There was a focus to deny entries and not to get back-cut and so forth and I think their pressure really hurt us. That was the difference right around the 10-11 minute mark, they amped it up. I don't know what Steve (Pikiell) said in the timeout to get them going, but they were a more focused and more physical team on defense for sure."

The Scarlet Knights picked up right where they left off in the second half, shooting 65.6% from the field after halftime en route to the 27-point victory.

Rutgers held a big edge inside as it outscored NJIT 50-24 in the paint and Ron Harper Jr. and Myles Johnson combined for 42 points and 18 rebounds. Harper, a big guard, used his size to shoot over the Highlanders' defense, scoring a game-high 25 points, while Johnson, a center, controlled the area around the rim and finished with a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds).

Kjell de Graaf started his first game of the season for NJIT and was a bright spot, finishing the contest with career-highs in points (13), rebounds (five), and minutes (38). The Netherlands native was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while the rest of the team shot 4-of-17.

Brinson added 11 points despite playing most of the game in foul trouble and Zach Cooks scored 10. Souleymane Diakite stuffed the stat sheet for the Highlanders with six points, five rebounds and a team-best four assists.

"For us, it's a great experience and opportunity to play a Big Ten school," concluded Kennedy. We have a very young team even though we have some returning players. We have nine freshman and sophomores, so the experience that they get from being in a Big Ten atmosphere and getting out against Big Ten players. The size and physicality of the Rutgers team really hurt us. For the young kids, the experience of going against them is a great experience."

The Highlanders will have eight days off before continuing their season-long, four-game road trip next Wednesday at Army West Point. Tip-off against the Black Knights is slated for 7pm.