WATCH: NJIT'S SECOND HALF RALLY | Highlights from Diakite's First Career Start

HAMILTON, NY - The NJIT men's basketball team lost a wild, 80-75 contest to host Colgate in both teams' season openers on Wednesday evening.

The Highlanders led early in the game, but a late first-half run that bridged into the second half put the Raiders ahead by 19 early in the second stanza. 

NJIT battled all the way back to take a lead late, but ran out of gas as the defending Patriot League Champions and 2019-20 Patriot League favorites grabbed the lead back and held on for the five-point win in front of 871 people at Cotterell Court.

"It's always difficult to lose, but I'm very proud of our group," said Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "We were down big in the second half on the road to a great team, one that earned votes in the Preseason Top 25 poll, and we battled all the way back."

Zach Cooks scored the first basket of the contest to put NJIT ahead early before the Raiders answered with six-straight to go in front by four.

The Highlanders followed with a run of their own, scoring 10 unanswered to go ahead 12-6, which was their largest lead of the game.

Colgate tied the game at 18-18, re-took the lead on a three-pointer from Jordan Burns and scored the next five to take a 23-18 lead.

NJIT was able to cut the lead to one on several occasions late in the half, but the Raiders took advantage of the Highlanders' foul trouble in the post and scored the final seven points of the frame, taking a 41-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

A tip-in from Souleymane Diakite opened the second half scoring and cut the Colgate advantage to seven. The Raiders, however, answered with nine of the next 11 points and went ahead 52-36 before the Highlanders were forced to take a timeout. 

Colgate came out of the timeout with another three-pointer, its fourth of the half on just four attempts, and increased its lead to a game-high 19.

Three veterans - Shyquan Gibbs, San Antonio Brinson and Cooks - along with Diakite, a sophomore who started his first-career game then willed NJIT to a comeback as the Highlanders went on a 30-11 run and tied the game at 66-66 on a layup from Gibbs.

Colgate was able to get back in front before a free throw from Gibbs with 4:14 to play put NJIT in the lead for the first time in the second half, 69-68.

The Raiders answered with a bucket and held on to their lead for the remainder of the contest, draining 7-of-8 from the foul line in the final two-plus minutes.

"It's important that we learn from that one," concluded Kennedy. "I hope our guys, especially some of our younger reserves, realize how important every play is."

Cooks played all 40 minutes and led NJIT with 23 points, while Brinson and Gibbs added 15 and 14, respectively. After being held scoreless in the first half, Diakite scored eight points in the second half to go along with a team-high nine rebounds in a career-high 32 minutes of action.

Rapolas Ivanauskas (24 points, eight rebounds), the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and Will Ryman (18 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for Colgate. 

The Highlanders continue their season opening road trip on Saturday when they travel to Rhode Island to take on BIG EAST foe Providence. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30pm at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

#Sacrifice